ISO 27001A.8 — Outsourced development
A.8.30
Outsourced development
ISO 27001 · ISO/IEC 27001:2022 · Last verified August 2026
Objective
Direct, monitor, and review activities related to outsourced system development.
Points of focus
- Contractual security requirements
- Access control for external developers
- Code review and testing expectations
- IP and confidentiality
Implementation notes
Use named contractor accounts with SSO. Keep them out of production. Require PR reviews by employees. Include secure coding and confidentiality in contracts. Offboard at engagement end. Assign a named owner in the SoA, tie operating evidence to development msa/sow security clauses, and sample the control during internal audit before Stage 2 fieldwork.
Audit tip: Show SOW clauses and access list for an active agency; confirm no prod roles.
Evidence auditors typically request:
- Development MSA/SOW security clauses
- Contractor repo access lists
- PR review records from external contributors
- Offboarding of agency accounts
Common gaps
- Agency shared logins
- External devs with prod credentials
- No security requirements in SOW
Cross-Framework Mapping
| Framework | Requirement | Implementation note |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 27001 | A.8.30 | This control |
| SOC 2 | CC8.1, CC9.2 | Related SOC 2 themes (CC8.1, CC9.2) — map in your crosswalk; not identical requirements. |
Primary sources
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A: ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A (A.8.30)
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — treat as outsourced development.
Different model — still review code before merge to private products.
Supplier agreements cover commercial terms; A.8.30 focuses on development activity control.
Even without owned data centers, outsourced development still applies to how you operate endpoints, IdP, cloud consoles, and vendor services in scope. Exclude controls in the SoA only with a documented, risk-based rationale.
Start with development msa/sow security clauses, assign a named control owner, and retain dated samples from your ticketing or GRC system — not one-off screenshots assembled before audit fieldwork.