Introduction

Cybersecurity isn’t just the IT department’s job. It starts at the top. ISO 27001 Control 5.4 makes it clear: senior management must take active responsibility for establishing, promoting, and supporting the organization’s information security policies and objectives.

This control helps ensure that security isn’t just written in documents it’s embedded in the organization’s culture and operations.

Summary of Control 5.4: Management Responsibilities

🔒 Control Title: Management Responsibilities
📘 Source: ISO/IEC 27002:2022, Section 5.4
🧩 Control Category: Organizational
🔍 Attributes:

• Control Type: #Preventive
• Security Properties: #Confidentiality, #Integrity, #Availability
• Cybersecurity Concepts: #Identify
• Operational Capabilities: #Governance
• Security Domain: #Governance_and_Ecosystem

Control Objective

To ensure top-level leadership actively supports and drives information security by assigning roles, enforcing policies, setting expectations, and demonstrating accountability.

Implementation Guidance

1) Define and Assign Responsibilities:

• Senior leaders must define clear security objectives and assign accountability for achieving them.

2) Demonstrate Visible Support:

• Examples: communicating the importance of security, participating in reviews, funding security initiatives

3) Promote Policy Compliance:

• Ensure policies are implemented and followed consistently across departments and levels

4) Enforce Disciplinary Actions (if needed):

• Establish consequences for deliberate policy violations or negligence

5) Drive Continuous Improvement:

• Regularly review the effectiveness of security measures and adjust based on risk and compliance needs

Why This Control Matters

Without strong management backing, security becomes a checkbox exercise. Real change only happens when leadership sets the tone and leads by example. This also satisfies requirements from auditors, clients, and regulators who want to see executive involvement in security governance.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Delegating security completely to IT with no executive involvement

• Lack of clarity on who is responsible for what

• Inconsistent enforcement of security policies

• No management participation in internal audits or risk assessments

Canadian Cyber’s Take

At Canadian Cyber, we work with leadership teams to embed security into governance, strategy, and culture. Our approach helps organizations go beyond compliance turning security into a business enabler, not a barrier.

Want to Strengthen Executive-Level Security Governance?

Let us help you define and operationalize management responsibilities that align with ISO 27001 and build lasting security leadership.
👉 Click here to consult with our experts.

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