SC.2 Change Default Passwords on Devices and Software
Change any default passwords on devices and software before deployment, or remove the account if not needed.
Source: UK Cyber Essentials, SC.2. The statement above is our statement of the clause, read from the published text and cited so you can check it against the official text, not the instrument verbatim. Open UK Cyber Essentials in the compliance library.
The version of the requirements is not stamped here; check the question set your certification body uses.
These are the artefacts auditors commonly ask for on this requirement, our guidance rather than text from the standard. Your assessor decides what is sufficient in your context, and asks for samples across the period when a report covers one.
system holds itEvidence a system already holds
none for this control
periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review
- No-default attestation · Identity provider / directory
governing documentDocuments that govern the control
- Deployment checklist · Policy repository / GRC workspace
- Credential vault entries · Policy repository / GRC workspace
First move
Common gaps auditors find
- printer/scanner defaults retained
- IoT devices ignored
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 sheetSC.1 Remove or Disable Unused Software · SC.3 Disable Auto-Run Features