3 Information Security Principles to Use within Your Vendor Management Program

With the increase in cybersecurity breaches, it’s critical to monitor and fully understand your vendor’s information security posture in order to protect the company from unnecessary risk. There are three information security principles to be aware of, also known as the CIA Information Security Triad, which will help you determine if you and your customers are safe. 

What Does CIA Stand for?

Confidentiality – This principle seeks to prevent unauthorized disclosure of information. To guarantee confidentiality under the CIA triad, vendor communications channels must be properly monitored and controlled to prevent unauthorized access. To assist with confidentiality, verify that the terms of your contract include:

• Company and employee NDA clauses
• SOC reviews
• Cybersecurity reviews
• Employee, Contractor, and Vendor Management policies
• Access management procedures

Integrity – This principle seeks to ensure that data is not modified by unauthorized means. To guarantee integrity under the CIA triad, vendors should be able to demonstrate that they have controls in place to protect information from unauthorized modification. To verify integrity, review the following:

• SOC reports
• Access controls and monitoring procedures
• Backup policies
• Encryption procedures
• Data security controls at rest and in transit

Availability – This principle ensures that information is available when needed and only to authorized personnel. Vendors should be able to validate how they prevent and handle downtime and interruptions. Verify availability by including:

• Service level agreements (SLAs)
• SOC reviews
• Business continuity and disaster recovery plan reviews
• Verification of recovery point and time objectives
• Cybersecurity reviews
• A legal requirement to notify your organization in the event of a breach

3 Additional Best Practices to Help Implement the CIA Principles into Your Third Party Risk Management Program

1. Educate employees. Provide proper training and ensure they understand the CIA Information Security Triad components.
2. Update your program. Write information security procedures into your policy and program documentation as needed.
3. Understand Roles and Responsibilities. Effectively communicate with the vendor and understand what each party (your organization and the vendor) must do to uphold information security expectations.

Cybersecurity is a hot button for everyone, including regulators, so they’re watching you and how you handle these principles of information security with your vendors. In most cases, it’s required that you demonstrate you're taking proactive steps to identify and mitigate potential areas of weakness with your vendors.

The principles of information security and the CIA Information Security Triad are the building blocks you need at the foundation of your cybersecurity program. Download our infographic for a fun way to help you remember the above principles.