How to Audit ISO 27001 Annex A 8.9: Configuration Management

In this ultimate how to audit guide to ISO 27001 Annex A 8.9 Configuration Management, you will learn directly from an ISO 27001 Lead Auditor:

• 10 Key Audit Steps
• Verification Criteria
• Required Evidence
• The Pass / Fail Test

I am Stuart Barker, the ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and author of the Ultimate ISO 27001 Toolkit.

Using over 30 years of industry experience across hundreds of audits, I’m giving you the exact templates, walkthroughs, and practical examples you need to achieve ISO 27001 certification.

ISO 27001 Annex A 8.9 Configuration Management Audit Checklist

Auditing ISO 27001 Annex A 8.9 Configuration Management is the technical verification of hardened system states and automated enforcement protocols. The Primary Implementation Requirement is the establishment of secure configuration baselines, providing the Business Benefit of preventing unauthorised changes and maintaining infrastructure integrity across the enterprise.

This technical verification tool is designed for lead auditors to establish the security integrity and hardening of organisational infrastructure. Use this checklist to validate compliance with ISO 27001 Annex A 8.9.

1. Standard Security Configuration Baselines Verified

Verification Criteria: Formally documented security baselines (e.g. CIS Benchmarks or vendor-specific hardening guides) exist for all hardware, software, and cloud services.

Required Evidence: Hardening standards documents or “Gold Image” configuration specifications for OS, Database, and Network tiers.

Pass/Fail Test: If the organisation cannot produce a documented baseline for its primary operating systems or cloud environments, mark as Non-Compliant.

2. Baseline Enforcement and Automation Confirmed

Verification Criteria: Technical controls or automation tools (e.g. Ansible, Terraform, Intune GPOs) are utilised to enforce and maintain the established security baselines.

Required Evidence: Configuration-as-Code (CaC) repository logs or Group Policy Object (GPO) deployment reports showing baseline enforcement.

Pass/Fail Test: If security settings are applied manually without an automated enforcement mechanism for new deployments, mark as Non-Compliant.

3. Configuration Drift Monitoring and Alerting Validated

Verification Criteria: Active monitoring is in place to detect unauthorised changes or deviations from the approved security baselines (drift).

Required Evidence: File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) logs or Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) alert reports for drift detection.

Pass/Fail Test: If a configuration change occurs on a production server and no alert or log entry is generated to flag the baseline deviation, mark as Non-Compliant.