A.8.5 Secure authentication
Implement authentication technologies and procedures based on access restrictions and policy.
20
artefacts
7
held by a system
4
at each review
moderate
to go live
Identity provider / directory
where the evidence lives
teal = a system already holds it · olive = produced at each review
system holds itEvidence a system already holds
- Credential lifecycle change logs · Identity provider / directory
- MFA configuration export from authentication system · Identity provider / directory
- MFA enrollment records per user · Identity provider / directory
- Exception approvals for MFA bypass · Identity provider / directory
- MFA test and validation results · Identity provider / directory
- Authentication event logs exported from SIEM · Identity provider / directory
- Incident tickets triggered by failed login attempts · Identity provider / directory
periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review
- Password complexity configuration screenshots · Identity provider / directory
- Password vault audit report · Identity provider / directory
- Log review schedule and meeting minutes · Identity provider / directory
- Privileged session recordings or screenshots · Identity provider / directory
governing documentDocuments that govern the control
- Documented authentication policy · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- User access level matrix · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Onboarding and offboarding authentication procedures · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Policy change approval records · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- User account creation request forms · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Log retention and archival policy · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Privileged account inventory list · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Just‑in‑time access request approvals · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Privileged password rotation schedule · Policy repository / GRC workspace
First move
Start with the 7 of 20 artefacts that already live in a system (Identity provider / directory); keep the periodic reviews but log each one as a dated record with a named reviewer.
Common gaps auditors find
- Reliance on static passwords only
- Inconsistent MFA enforcement across systems
- No periodic review of authentication logs
- Missing documentation of credential lifecycle
Do this for your whole sheet
Paste the rows you run your controls from and get this mapping for every control at once, with the periodic-review ones flagged and a first move per row. No account for the first run.
Build my evidence sheet