5/6/2010 Maturity Model for Information Security…

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Maturity Model for Information Security Capability..2

We introduced an approach to building a maturity model for Information Security Capability in our
previous article. This article will provide a background to bring a larger section of the readers of
aavi.org into the debate and also fill up some of the gaps left uncovered in the previous article so
that experts can start adding their thoughts.

We have been discussing that Techno Legal Information Security is a top management requirement
in today's information led business world. We have also been emphasizing that ITA 2008 has the
effect of mandating Information Security and therefore companies need to implement a ITA 2008
compliance programme before the Clause 49 certification is due for the current financial year. We
have also brought in the element of "Behavioural Science" to the domain of Information Security
presenting a "Theory of Information Security Motivation" identifying the motivational factors that
determine the successful implementation of IS practices in a company.

ow, under the the Maturity Model for Information Security Capability (shall we call it IS-CMM ?..
so that we can appreciate the relationship of this approach with the better known CMMI or SEI
CMM terms used in software industry) we are exploring the methods for measuring the IS capability
of an organization. Ideally this article should have appeared before the article that appeared on 6th
but we shall try to merge some of the essential parts of the earlier article into this so that it will
become a more comprehensive article.

Software industry has successfully introduced the concept of different levels of maturity in software development process
adopted by an organization to supplement its people and technology resources. This People-Process-Technology
combination is the foundation on which a good software development company is built. The process capability is
measured on a five level tiered basis so that a CMM Level 5 company is considered to have processes that have reached
an optimization level in its software development process.
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Level 1 is considered the initial start point for a company where there may be no processes. At this initial level, results of Ads by Google
any project may depend totally on the manager’s personal approach and the programmers’ experience, meaning the
success of a particular project can be repeated only if the same managers and programmers are assigned to the next
project.

A Company is recognized to have graduated to Level 2 when project management technologies have been introduced in
the company based on accumulated experience and there are standards for produced software which are documented.
This enables the process to become "repeatable" without the dependency on the same set of people.

A Company graduates to Level 3 when standards for the processes of software development and maintenance are
introduced and documented (including project management), There is a special quality management department for
building and maintaining these standards. The degree of organizational dependence on the qualities of particular
developers decreases and the process does not tend to roll back to the previous level in critical situations.

Level 4 is referred to as the "Managed Level" where there are quantitative indices (for both software and process as a
whole) established in the organization. Better project management is achieved due to the decrease of digression in
different project indices. However, sensible variations in process efficiency may be different from random variations
(noise), especially in mastered areas.

When the company reaches Level 5, improvement procedures are carried out not only for existing processes, but also for
evaluation of the efficiency of newly introduced innovative technologies. The main goal of an organization on this level is
permanent improvement of existing processes. This should anticipate possible errors and defects and decrease the costs
of software development, by creating reusable components for example.

Though the CMM does not by itself guarantee that a "Good" software would be developed, nor it is meant to provide
such a guarantee, the Certification of a Software Company under the CMM methodology has come to be considered
an index of a Company's capability.

Naavi has always been of the opinion that "There is No Quality without Security" and hence a quality process approach
such as CMM is expected to also consider that the process should have an inbuilt "Security". Hence a CMM certification
or a Six Sigma Certification ignoring the Information Security aspects was always considered a faulty/inadequate
certification. However since the focus of CMM certification originated from the need to strengthen the quality, it was
natural that Security orientation of a quality process can only come in as an "After thought".

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leave the quality certification methodologies at the current practices though it remains "Quality Sans Security" and find a
parellel concurrent Security certification which grades the Security Capability of a Company on a different scale.

For example, we may develop a separate metric for Information Security Achievements such as (for argument) Level 1
of ISO 27001, Level 2 of ISO 27001 etc and evaluate a company from the perspective of quality of processes on the
basis of CMM and Quality of Security on the basis of ISO (modified). The market may interpret the overall Quality cum
Security standing of the enterprise by looking at both parameters simultaneously.

What the author is proposing under IS CMM is an Information Security Capability Maturity Model which is aimed to
assess the IS achievements through a combination of People, Process and Technology.

Just as we say that "There is No Quality Without Security", it is true that " There is No Security Without Quality". In fact
this is not just a statement born out of the management's intentions or best practices, it is how the Techno Legal Security
System recognizes Security. The proof is available in the fact that under Section 66 of Information Technology Act 2000
(ITA 2000) compliance of which is part of the Techno Legal Information Security System, says that "Diminishing of the
value or Utility of information residing in a computer system" is a Cyber Crime and if such a crime occurs in a Company
the Company may have to bear a financial liability leading to other adverse consequences affecting even the BCP.
"Quality" process is meant to maintain a certain level of value or utility of the software. Therefore, when "Quality" is not
maintained, the "Value" of the software may be treated as "Diminished". In order to prevent occurence of a crime
(ie.,preventing the diminishing of value through negligence in handling the quality process) the Security Process should
ensure that the Quality Process is not diluted.

It is therefore possible for the IS CMM process to integrate the current CMM process and become an "Integrated
Organizational Capability Maturity Model". Since we have conceded that the existing CMM process need not be
disturbed in the name of "Security", the alternative possibility of integrating "CMM" as a quality parameter into the "IS-
CMM" needs to be seriously explored. We are addressing such an approach in this model.

ISO 27001 incorporates "Technology". But its inclusiveness may be inadequate when it comes to "People". The
requirements of "Policy Documents" under ISO 27001 does address "Process" but its end objectives may be more
focussed on the security domain only and unless there is a strong bonding with the "Legal Compliance", the "Quality
Process" is not attracted within the ISO framework. Again, like the CMM model, ISO 27001 has already matured to a
certain level and any tinkering of its process would again be creating more problems than it may solve.

For this reason, it is better to find a solution to grade companies on the basis of their Security Capability outside the ISO
framework. We shall therefore not attempt to find Level I, II, III.. etc of ISO 27001.

After eliminating the current CMM and ISO frameworks as solutions for creating an evaluation and gradation system for
a "Quality Cum Security" capability of an organization, a possible solution appears to be available with the Three
Dimensional Information Security approach which the author has presented earlier.

In the Three dimensional theory of Information Security

discussed earlier by this author, The Technical and Legal
dimensions of Information Security was further augmented
by the Behavioural Science dimension.

The hypothesis is that the way people behave to different

stimuli is an important factor to be considered for IS
implementation both for risk assessment and for mitigation
strategies.

The three dimensional model was supplemented by the "Theory of Information Security Motivation" (TISM) under which
it was considered that the Information Security Motivation may be visualized as a "Pentagon

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Model" where it was suggested that Information Security adoption by individual employees may be mapped to five
motivational parameters namely,

1. Awareness, 2. Acceptance 3. Availability, 4. Mandate and 5. Inspiration.

Unlike the normal motivational models, the model suggested for visualization of this process for better understanding was
a “Pentagon” where each of the five factors were considered the sides that bind the IS adoption process. This was
different from the Maslow’s pyramid/triangle model or any other forms of sequential adoption of different factors

Out of the, five IS motivational factors considered above, Awareness, Acceptance and Inspiration are related to
"People". "Availability" is related to "Technology". "Mandate" is related to "Process". Hence, Naavi's Theory of
Information Security Motivation (TISM) already integrates the three important aspects of Corporate performance namely
"People", Process" and "Technology". If we build an IS-CMM model based on the evaluation of Security Capability on
the basis of TISM, we will perhaps be creating a satisfactory model of evaluation of Corporate performance.

With this background let us now look at a suggested Maturity Model for Information Security as shown below.

In this model the five motivational factors have not been combined but held independently. Also in order to differentiate
the levels of capability, instead of adopting a level across different motivational parameters, a matrix type depiction is
presented.

i.e., instead of saying that Company A is in IS CMM Level I, Comany B is in IS CMM Level II and Company C is in IS
CMM Level III, the following matrix notation is used.

Under this notation, Company A may be depicted as a matrix element such as M1L2,M2L1,M3L3,M4L1,M5L1.
Company B is mapped as M1L1,M2L2,M3L2,M4L3,M5L2. Company C is mapped as
M1L4,M2L2,M3L4,M4L5,M5L2. [Alternatively, the notation can be IS CMM-L (2.1.3.1.1)], etc

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While the Company may invest in best security tools, create 100% awareness or even mandate the IS practices, it has no
control on two other parameters such as “Acceptance” and “Inspiration”. These are dependent on the employees. Hence
it may not be possible for a company to reach say L5 in all parameters simultaneously even after it exhausts all resources
under its capability.

However, if the matrix notation is considered too complicated for practical utility, it is suggested that it can be reduced to
a "Rating Notation" For this purpose, the matrix elements may be first reduced to a "Score" on a scale of 100. Then, the
Company is further evaluated on the following basis.

1. Current Status of IS Capability Score (represented by a score 0 to 100 divided into five grades A, B,
C, D and E)

2. Estimated Capability to retain or improve the current status in the medium term with known business
parameters, (represented by one of the letters A to E indicating the level to which it may tend in the medium
term)

3.Estimated Capability to retain or improve the current status in the long term even when the current known
business parameters may undergo a change.(represented by one of the letters A to E indicating the level to
which it may tend in the medium term)

Under this notation, the examples of how a IS Capability Score may be presented by the Company would be AAA,
BAA, CBA, EBB, DBA, etc

I invite comments and suggestions on the above.

P.S: This article refers to the following Four of my earlier articles which provide the background.

1. Techno Legal Behavioural Science Approach to Information Security

2. What motivates an individual to adopt Security

3. Theory of Motivation based on Behavioural Science Approach

4. IS Maturity Capability Model

Those who have not browsed through these articles may peruse the same.

Naavi

February 8, 2010

Comments are Welcome at [email protected]

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