Certified: The CISSP Prepcast

Welcome to The Bare Metal Cyber CISSP Prepcast. This series helps you prepare for the ISC squared CISSP exam with focused explanations and practical context.
In this episode, we’ll discuss Change Control and Approval Processes—two essential elements of secure systems management. Every organization relies on change. New software is deployed, configurations are updated, patches are applied, and systems are upgraded. But without structure, these changes can introduce instability, create security vulnerabilities, or even trigger major outages. That’s why mature organizations rely on formal change control and approval processes—to ensure that changes are made deliberately, with proper oversight, testing, and accountability. For Certified Information Systems Security Professionals, understanding how to manage and control change is essential for maintaining secure, stable, and compliant operations.
Let’s begin by exploring the concept of change control. Change control refers to the structured process of proposing, reviewing, approving, implementing, and documenting changes to information systems or business processes. It provides a formal mechanism to ensure that changes are not made haphazardly or without considering the potential impact on operations, security, or compliance.
Effective change control reduces the risk of unauthorized, poorly tested, or improperly documented changes. These types of changes are some of the leading causes of system outages, data breaches, and compliance failures. With proper control, you ensure that changes are coordinated, consistent with policy, and aligned with business goals.
A well-run change control process creates clarity. It helps everyone involved—technical staff, security teams, business units, and compliance officers—understand what changes are happening, why they are necessary, and how risks will be managed.
Change control also supports traceability. It provides a detailed record of what was changed, when, by whom, and why. This documentation is essential for audits, investigations, and post-incident analysis.
Ultimately, change control is about aligning security with innovation. It enables organizations to evolve and improve while maintaining the stability, integrity, and security of their systems.
Now let’s look at the key procedures involved in effective change control. It starts with clearly documented change control policies. These policies should define how changes are submitted, evaluated, tested, approved, implemented, and reviewed.
Each proposed change should begin with a formal request. This is usually submitted using a structured form that captures all relevant information. That includes a description of the change, its business justification, its scope, the systems affected, an impact assessment, a rollback plan, and the proposed timeline.
Once submitted, the change is reviewed. This evaluation considers a number of factors. What are the security implications? Will the change affect system availability or performance? Does it require new compliance controls? Is there sufficient time and expertise to implement it successfully?
Next, the change should be tested. Testing should take place in a non-production environment whenever possible. This allows teams to validate functionality, assess compatibility, and identify unintended side effects. Testing also helps confirm that rollback procedures will work if something goes wrong during deployment.
Once tested and approved, the change is scheduled for implementation. Changes should be deployed in accordance with the organization’s change calendar, with consideration given to timing, resource availability, and potential business impact.
After implementation, a post-change review should be conducted. Did the change go as planned? Were there any unexpected consequences? What could be improved for next time? These reviews support continuous improvement and help teams learn from each experience.
All of this should be thoroughly documented. The change request form, evaluation results, test outcomes, approval records, implementation logs, and post-change review findings together form the official change record.
Let’s now explore the importance of formal approval processes. Approval is not just about signing off on a form—it’s about accountability, transparency, and quality decision-making.
A structured approval process ensures that proposed changes are properly evaluated before they are implemented. It prevents rushed decisions, unauthorized modifications, and poorly understood changes from being introduced into production.
Effective approval processes start with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Who is authorized to approve what types of changes? Are there different requirements for emergency changes versus routine ones? What criteria must be met before a change can move forward?
Approval authorities may include change control boards, department heads, system owners, security teams, and compliance officers. These approvers must consider security risks, operational impacts, regulatory obligations, and resource constraints. Their job is not to rubber-stamp requests—it’s to ensure that changes are sound, justified, and aligned with organizational priorities.
Approvals must be documented. This includes who approved the change, when, under what conditions, and with what expectations. Clear documentation builds trust, supports audits, and reinforces the integrity of the change control process.
Without formal approvals, change control lacks structure. Decisions are made inconsistently, and important risks may be overlooked. But with strong approvals, organizations benefit from informed decisions, better coordination, and reduced exposure to change-related failures.
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Let’s now talk about implementing effective approval processes. Start by defining your approval authorities. Who has the final say for different types of changes? Minor updates may be approved at the team level, while major infrastructure changes may require executive approval or board review.
Next, define your approval criteria. What should approvers look for when reviewing a change request? This might include a risk rating, a business justification, an impact analysis, a rollback plan, and confirmation of testing. Standardizing these criteria ensures consistent, high-quality decision-making.
Ensure your change control board includes representatives from all relevant areas—security, operations, compliance, and business units. Diverse perspectives help uncover risks and support better alignment across the organization.
Document all decisions. Every approval should include the decision date, the name of the approver, the rationale for the decision, and any conditions or requirements. These records provide an audit trail and support accountability.
And finally, review and update your approval processes as needed. As your organization grows, your change volumes and risk landscape will evolve. Periodic reviews ensure that your approval mechanisms remain efficient, effective, and aligned with your goals.
Now let’s review the security controls that support change control. First, use automated change management systems. These platforms provide centralized documentation, enforce workflows, maintain audit trails, and integrate with project management and ticketing tools.
Apply strong access controls. Only authorized users should be able to submit, approve, or implement changes. Use role-based access, multifactor authentication, and logging to enforce accountability and prevent abuse.
Use secure communication channels for discussing and documenting changes—especially when handling sensitive systems or proprietary technologies. Email alone may not provide the security or traceability required for regulated environments.
Deploy monitoring and alerting systems to detect unauthorized changes. Compare system configurations against approved baselines, and alert teams when something unexpected occurs. These controls help catch errors and prevent insider threats or unauthorized actions.
Conduct regular audits. Review change logs, approval records, and implementation evidence to ensure that policies are followed and that changes are managed effectively. Use findings to improve both your technical controls and your change control processes.
And don’t forget backups. Before any change is implemented, ensure that reliable backups are in place. This allows you to recover quickly if a change causes problems or must be rolled back.
Now let’s talk about continuous improvement. Change management must evolve alongside your organization. Regularly review your strategies based on new threats, technologies, compliance mandates, and organizational goals.
Use incident data to improve your processes. If a change led to a service outage or security issue, conduct a root cause analysis. Ask what went wrong and how it can be avoided in the future.
Gather feedback from those involved. What’s working well? Where are the bottlenecks? Are approvals happening fast enough? Are they thorough enough? Use this input to streamline workflows, reduce friction, and strengthen control.
Collaborate across teams. Security, IT, development, legal, and business leaders must all work together to maintain effective change control. Each brings valuable insights that can improve outcomes.
And keep training top of mind. Ensure that all staff involved in change control understand the procedures, tools, and policies. Reinforce training through case studies, simulations, and scenario-based exercises.
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