CIS Controls v8
CIS Control 18: Penetration Testing

CIS Controls v8 CIS-18.1: Establish and Maintain a Penetration Testing Program

Set up and keep a penetration testing programme suited to the enterprise's size, complexity and maturity. The programme defines its scope (for example network, web applications, APIs, hosted services and physical premises controls), how often testing happens, its limits (for example permitted hours and attack types that are excluded), contact details, how remediation works (for example the internal routing of findings), and what is required by way of retrospective.

Maintained by Gerard BlokdykVerified against the published standard Control text last updated

What else in your programme already covers this

This control maps to 70 controls across 29 other frameworks. If you already hold one of them, the evidence you collected for it is the starting point here rather than new work.

PCI DSS 4.0 · 6 controls

  • 11.1.1 11.1.1 Requirement 11 policies and procedures managed
  • 11.4.1 11.4.1 Penetration testing methodology defined and implemented
  • 11.4.2 11.4.2 Internal penetration testing annually and after change
  • 11.4.3 11.4.3 External penetration testing annually and after change
  • 11.4.4 11.4.4 Correct exploitable findings from penetration tests
  • 11.4.5 11.4.5 Annual segmentation penetration testing

CFTC System Safeguards (17 CFR 37, 38, 39, 49) · 5 controls

ISO 27002:2022 · 5 controls

  • 5.24 Information security incident management planning and preparation
  • 5.35 Independent review of information security
  • 8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance
  • 8.34 Protection of information systems during audit testing
  • 8.8 Management of technical vulnerabilities

NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 · 5 controls

  • NIST-CSF-DE.CM-09 Computing hardware and software, runtime environments, and their data are monitored to find potentially adverse events
  • NIST-CSF-ID.IM-01 Improvements are identified from evaluations
  • NIST-CSF-ID.IM-02 Improvements are identified from security tests and exercises, including those done in coordination with suppliers and relevant third parties
  • NIST-CSF-ID.RA-01 Vulnerabilities in assets are identified, validated, and recorded
  • NIST-CSF-PR.PS-01 Configuration management practices are established and applied

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 · 5 controls

FedRAMP High · 4 controls

  • CA-7 Continuous Monitoring
  • CA-8 Penetration Testing
  • CA-8(1) Penetration Testing | Independent Penetration Testing Agent or Team (CA-8(1))
  • CA-8(2) Penetration Testing | Red Team Exercises (CA-8(2))

FedRAMP Moderate · 4 controls

  • CA-7 Continuous Monitoring
  • CA-8 Penetration Testing
  • CA-8(1) Penetration Testing | Independent Penetration Testing Agent or Team (CA-8(1))
  • CA-8(2) Penetration Testing | Red Team Exercises (CA-8(2))

ISO 27001:2022 · 4 controls

  • 5.24 Information security incident management planning and preparation 
  • 5.35 Independent review of information security
  • 8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance
  • 8.34 Protection of information systems during audit testing 

SOC 2 · 4 controls

  • SOC2-CC3.2 CC3.2 Identifying and analysing risks to objectives (COSO principle 7)
  • SOC2-CC4.1 CC4.1 Ongoing and separate evaluations of control (COSO principle 16)
  • SOC2-CC5.1 CC5.1 Selecting control activities that mitigate risk (COSO principle 10)
  • SOC2-CC7.1 CC7.1 Detecting configuration changes and new vulnerabilities

APRA CPS 234 · 3 controls

  • CPS234-22 Systematic Control Testing Program
  • CPS234-P30 Independence and Skill of Testing Personnel
  • CPS234-P31 Annual Review of Testing Program Sufficiency

CMMC 2.0 · 2 controls

DORA · 2 controls

  • DORA-Art.24 General requirements for the performance of digital operational resilience testing
  • DORA-Art.27 Requirements for testers for the carrying out of TLPT

HIPAA Security Rule · 2 controls

ISO 22301:2019 · 2 controls

  • 8.5 Exercise programme
  • 9.2.2 Audit programme(s)

NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 · 2 controls

  • 53A-3.1 Prepare for Control Assessments
  • 53A-D Penetration Testing

NIST SP 800-66 Rev 2 · 2 controls

ANSSI Guide d'hygiene informatique (42 mesures, v2.0) · 1 control

  • ANSSI-HYG-38 Carry Out Regular Security Checks and Audits and Apply the Corrective Actions

AWS Well-Architected Security Pillar · 1 control

Australia Consumer Data Right - Banking (CDR) · 1 control

  • AUCDR-IS-STEP4 Step 4 - Implement a formal controls assessment program

Australian Information Security Manual · 1 control

Azure Security Benchmark · 1 control

C5 (Germany) · 1 control

  • C5-OPS-19 Managing Vulnerabilities, Malfunctions and Errors - Penetration Tests

CIS Controls v8.1 · 1 control

  • 18.1 Establish and Maintain a Penetration Testing Program

Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) v4.0.1 · 1 control

NIS2 Directive · 1 control

  • Art.21.2.f Policies and procedures to assess the effectiveness of the cybersecurity risk-management measures

NIST SP 800-161 Rev 1 · 1 control

NIST SP 800-171 Rev 3 · 1 control

NIST SP 800-172 · 1 control

  • 3.12.1e Penetration Testing by Independent Agents

NIST SP 800-218 · 1 control

Every mapping shown was judged rather than inferred from wording similarity, and the ones that failed review are published too. See the coverage reports and what was rejected.

Other controls in CIS Control 18: Penetration Testing

You are reading one control. How much of CIS Controls v8 have you already done?

CIS Controls v8 CIS-18.1 is one control. If you already hold one of the frameworks below, a reviewed crosswalk already says how much of CIS Controls v8 your existing evidence covers. Hold ISO 27001:2022 and 102 of 153 CIS Controls v8 controls already carry evidence.

If you hold ISO 27001:202266.7% covered · 51 gapsIf you hold FedRAMP Moderate62.7% covered · 57 gapsIf you hold NIST SP 800-53 Rev 557.5% covered · 65 gapsIf you hold NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.050.3% covered · 76 gapsIf you hold ISO 27002:202249.7% covered · 77 gapsIf you hold Azure Security Benchmark49% covered · 78 gaps

Each report names every control your existing framework evidences, every one it does not, the reasoning behind each claim, and the claims that were argued against and rejected. 240 were rejected on the ISO 27001:2022 pair alone.

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Query this from an agent

The graph holds this control, the 70 it maps to, and the evidence behind each claim, over MCP and REST.

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