Australia Information Security Manual (ISM) — June 2024

Why it Matters

The Australia Information Security Manual (ISM) provides a robust framework for managing cybersecurity risks and protecting sensitive government information.

Key benefits include:

• Strengthen cybersecurity governance

Establish comprehensive oversight mechanisms to ensure effective implementation and maintenance of information security controls across the organization.

• Improve regulatory compliance

Support alignment with national security requirements, easing the burden of demonstrating compliance during internal and external audits.

• Promote operational resilience

Enhance the ability to continue critical operations by minimizing the likelihood and impact of cybersecurity incidents.

• Enhance incident response readiness

Enable prompt detection, containment, and remediation of security threats through structured incident response planning and processes.

• Protect sensitive information

Ensure that classified and sensitive government data is safeguarded against unauthorized access, loss, or disclosure throughout its lifecycle.

How it Works

The Australia Information Security Manual (ISM) organizes cybersecurity requirements into a control catalogue with implementation guidance that spans governance domains and the system lifecycle. It establishes risk-based security controls and configuration baselines, references prioritized mitigations including the Essential Eight, and outlines maturity considerations to guide control selection and system hardening.

Organizations apply the ISM by conducting risk management and gap assessments, mapping ISM security controls to assets and business processes, and implementing technical and procedural safeguards. Security teams configure systems, monitor controls, perform compliance assessments, and coordinate incident response and continuous monitoring activities to align security practices with regulatory obligations and governance priorities.

In SmartSuite, teams operationalize the ISM by importing an ISM control library, linking controls to a centralized risk register and asset inventory, and maintaining policy governance records. It supports evidence collection, compliance tracking, remediation workflows, audit readiness, and reporting dashboards to monitor control status, test results, and remediation progress.

Key Elements

• Cyber Security Principles

Outlines fundamental security principles to guide the protection of government information and infrastructure.

• Control Categories

Organizes security measures into logical groups, including governance, physical, personnel, and technical controls.

• Information Security Governance

Describes the establishment of roles, responsibilities, and oversight mechanisms for managing organizational security.

• System Hardening Requirements

Specifies baseline configuration standards to reduce vulnerabilities in hardware and software components.

• Risk Management Framework

Establishes processes for assessing, managing, and monitoring information security risks across systems.

• Incident Response and Recovery

Defines protocols for preparing, detecting, and managing cybersecurity incidents and restoring normal operations.

• Compliance Monitoring and Reporting

Describes mechanisms for evaluating control effectiveness and maintaining compliance with government policies.

Framework Scope

The Australia Information Security Manual (ISM) is used by federal agencies, state departments, and contractors responsible for protecting government information and managing sensitive data across information systems and critical infrastructure environments. It is typically adopted to comply with government cybersecurity directives, enforce rigorous controls, and support assurance programs for information security and operational resilience.

Framework Objectives

The Australia Information Security Manual (ISM) provides guidance to reduce cybersecurity risk and strengthen the protection of government information and systems.

Safeguard sensitive data through robust and consistent security controls

Strengthen cybersecurity governance and oversight across government environments

Support effective risk management to mitigate evolving cyber threats

Enhance compliance with regulatory and privacy requirements for information systems

Promote resilience of critical systems and continuity of government operations

Improve audit readiness with documented and auditable security practices

Framework in Context

The Australian Information Security Manual (ISM) provides government-focused cyber security guidance and is often mapped to the ASD Essential Eight, NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO/IEC 27001 to align controls and assurance. Agencies and enterprises implement the ISM for regulatory compliance, security governance, certification readiness, and operational risk reduction.

Common Framework Mappings

Organizations map the ISM to complementary frameworks to align controls, enable evidence reuse, satisfy regulatory and privacy obligations, and extend threat coverage across risk and security programs.

Mapped frameworks include:

ASD Essential Eight

CIS Critical Security Controls

ISO/IEC 27001

ISO/IEC 27002

ISO/IEC 27701

MITRE ATT&CK

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

NIST SP 800-53