What is ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.26 Application security requirements in ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 Annex A 8.26 requires applications to meet defined security requirements throughout their lifecycle. These requirements must be documented as a process integrated into business-as-usual tools. Management must verify that security needs align with technical specifications. This ensures resilience within your existing organisational infrastructure.
Auditor’s Eye: The Shortcut Trap
Black box SaaS platforms often provide generic “compliance checklists.” Developers rarely read these separate dashboards. This creates surface-level compliance without genuine ownership. Auditors prefer seeing security requirements inside your native technical tools. If a security requirement is not in the Jira ticket: it likely does not exist in the code. We look for evidence within your version-controlled SharePoint library. This proves your team manages security as a standard business operation. Disconnecting security from daily work is a major failure mode.
| ISO 27001:2013 Control | ISO 27001:2022 Control | Primary Nature of Change |
|---|---|---|
| A.14.1.1 | Annex A 8.26 | Refocused on the entire application lifecycle. Now includes cloud-native and SaaS applications. |
How to Implement ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.26 (Step-by-Step)
Application security starts with clear documentation in your existing organisational repositories. Lead with defined technical standards before coding begins. Use SharePoint and Jira to create a culture of accountability. Follow these steps to ensure compliance.
- Identify all applications within your organisational scope.
- Define security requirements for input validation and authentication.
- Store your overarching Application Security Policy in SharePoint.
- Embed specific security requirements into Jira user stories.
- Assign technical owners to review security specifications.
- Capture management approval for requirements in project minutes.
- Log all deviations or risk acceptances in Confluence.
ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.26 Audit Evidence Checklist
Focus on manual records and internal document versions. These items prove human oversight and operational intent. Your evidence must reside in tools your team uses daily.
- Version-controlled application security standards in SharePoint.
- Meeting minutes from project initiation phases.
- Jira tickets showing security sign-off for application features.
- Evidence of risk assessments for high-impact software.
- Technical architecture diagrams stored in Confluence.
Relational Mapping: Clause Inter-dependencies
- Clause 8.1: Operational planning for application security.
- Annex A 8.25: Secure development lifecycle integration.
- Annex A 8.27: Secure systems architecture principles.
- Annex A 5.37: Technical vulnerability management.
Auditor Interview: Managing the Process
Auditor: How do you ensure developers follow security requirements?
Manager: We integrate requirements into our standard Jira workflow. Developers cannot complete a story without meeting security criteria.
Auditor: Where do you store the proof of management approval?
Manager: We use SharePoint for our policy library. Every project has a dedicated folder with signed-off specifications.
Common Non-Conformities
| Failure Mode | Description | Corrective Action |
|---|---|---|
| Automated Complacency | Trusting a SaaS “green tick” without local procedural logs. | Record manual reviews in SharePoint and Jira. |
| Lack of Context | Using generic requirements that do not match the app risk. | Perform and document application-specific risk assessments. |
| Poor Version Control | Developers use outdated security standards for new builds. | Implement strict versioning in the SharePoint library. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ISO 27001 Annex A 8.26?
The Bottom Line: It requires defining and documenting security needs for all applications. You must manage these requirements using your internal repositories. This ensures software is built securely by design. It also prevents unauthorised data access through technical flaws.
How do I implement application security requirements?
The Bottom Line: Integrate requirements into your daily technical tools. Use Jira to track security tasks during development. Store your master policy in SharePoint for version control. This approach proves that security is a managed organisational process.
Why avoid SaaS for Annex A 8.26 compliance?
The Bottom Line: SaaS platforms often decouple security from the development team. Auditors value evidence found in your actual work environments. Using SharePoint or Jira proves the process is business-as-usual. It prevents the trap of “disconnected compliance.”