Cyber Security Policy

What is cyber security policy?

A cyber security policy template is an internal corporate document that an organization or business adopts with the sole purpose of establishing a clear legal framework for addressing, managing, and preventing cyber security issues.

This document template provides clarity regarding employees’ obligations, regulatory requirements, data storage, cloud services, email, and much more. On top of that, this sample cyber security policy also names officers within an organization responsible for mitigating and preventing those incidents.

This policy is usually being used in conjunction with other organization’s internal policies like Employee Handbook, Disciplinary Policy and Employee Privacy Policy.

Who shall use this cyber security policy?

Having strong and clear cyber security policies and procedures is suitable for:

• all employees and staff who need to clearly understand their duties and responsibilities with regard to outside cybersecurity risks;
• businesses and organizations that want to establish a strong legal framework for cybersecurity risk management;
• third-party contractors and consultants who access or manage a company’s internal systems, networks, and data and who wish to avoid potential breaches or leakage of sensitive information, etc.

What to include in this cyber security policy template?

There is no mandatory list of clauses a cyber security policy template must include, and this is so for two reasons. First, a cyber security policy is an organization’s internal document. Thus, only the organization’s stockholders or management have a unique right to decide what shall be included inside. Second, this policy could tackle various types of security issues and incidents. Therefore, every organization and business decides by themselves what shall be included inside.

Below is a list of components a standard sample cyber security policy must include.

Scope of Application

Every corporate policy must precisely define the categories of employees or staff to whom this policy applies. Every organization and employer when drafting cyber security policies and procedures shall clearly understand to whom they apply, including:

• full-time or part-time employees, or both;
• seasonal or permanent workers, or both;
• staff, volunteers, or both;
• employees on probation;
• employees on sick or maternity leave, or both, etc.

Clearly defining the exact types of employees to whom this policy applies ensures clarity in its further application.

Access Control and Password

A solid cyber security policy template must also address password management requirements, including:

• mandatory requirements for a password;
• prohibited passwords (e.g., employee’s date of birth);
• minimum number of characters in a password;
• frequency with which passwords shall be updated (e.g., every week, every month, annually, etc.)

Incident Prevention

Even a small business cyber security policy must address the way an organization has to react to a cybersecurity breach or other various incidents occurring along the road. Usually, an organization could choose either of the scenarios listed below:

• A report shall be made directly to a specifically designated person in a company (e.g., head of the IT department);
• A report shall be sent to the IT department according to defined rules (e.g., registration of an e-ticket in an organization’s internal back office);
• A report to an employee’s immediate supervisor or manager.

Policy review and acknowledgment

The text of every cyber security policy document template shall address how the policy shall be reviewed and amended. Reviews could take place monthly, annually, or on an as-needed basis. Once the policy is amended, the amendment date shall be included in the text of the policy.

After the introduction of changes, an organization must inform their staff about new updates. Therefore, every cyber security policy should explain how to notify employees about the changes. There are several possible options:

• first, to send a personal work email to each employee to whom the policy applies;
• second, to make a public announcement on the organization’s intranet; or
• third, to physically distribute copies of a cyber security policy to everyone in the office.

How to customize a cyber security policy at FasterDraft?

Having a fully customized internal cybersecurity policy for your company or organization is the right decision. Follow a few easy steps below to get a fully personalized policy:

1. Click the “Create Document” button.
2. Answer simple questions in the form.
3. Select a template’s format—cyber security policy PDF or word.
4. Make a payment.
5. E-sign, download, print, and spread this document among your company’s staff and employees.