# What is an Information Security Policy?

> An information security policy is an authoritative statement of management’s direction, intent, and requirements for protecting information and supporting systems.

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## Content

It defines what the organization expects and why, identifies its scope and governing principles, and assigns responsibility for decisions and oversight. A policy may be organization-wide or address a particular subject, system, process, or risk.

Useful policies translate obligations and risk decisions into requirements that people can apply. They should connect to more specific standards, baselines, procedures, contractual terms, and technical configurations rather than attempt to contain every implementation detail.

### Key points

- **Policy content:** State purpose, scope, mandatory requirements, responsible roles, decision authority, enforcement, and the laws, contracts, risks, or organizational commitments that drive it.
- **Usability:** Obtain accountable approval, communicate the policy to affected people, keep it accessible, and provide the training, standards, procedures, and resources needed to follow it.
- **Exceptions and change:** Record approvals, compensating measures, owners, and expiry dates for exceptions; review the policy on a schedule and after material business, technology, threat, or regulatory changes.
- **Important limitation:** Publishing a policy does not establish implementation, compliance, or effective security. Requirements must be feasible, translated into practice, monitored, and corrected when evidence shows gaps or unintended consequences.

### Related terms

[Information security](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/information-security/>) · [Security architecture](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/security-architecture/>) · [Security audit](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/security-audit/>) · [Cyber risk](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/cyber-risk/>) · [Defense in depth](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/defense-in-depth/>) · [Operational security (OPSEC)](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/operational-security/>) · [COBIT](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/cobit/>) · [International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27001](<https://yellowcube.eu/glossary/international-organization-for-standardization-international-electrotechnical-commission-27001/>)

### Sources

[NIST SP 800-12 Rev. 1, An Introduction to Information Security](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/12/r1/final) · [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 Release 5.2.0](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/r5/upd1/final) · [NIST SP 800-55 Vol. 1, Measurement Guide for Information Security](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/55/v1/final)

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