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                passwords  
              
                password-management  
              
                iso27001  
              
          
          
            
              
                
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            URL: 
              https://security.stackexchange.com/q/153596
          
          
            
            Title: 
              Does an ISO27001 audit require users to reveal their passwords?
            
          
          
            ID: 
              /2017/03/12/Does-an-ISO27001-audit-require-users-to-reveal-their-passwords_
            
          
          
            Created: 
               March 12, 2017
          
          
          
          
            
            Upload: 
              October 19, 2025
          
          
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What ISO27001 says about passwords
From (https://advisera.com/27001academy/blog/2015/07/27/how-to-handle-access-control-according-to-iso-27001/) there is a summary about user passwords:
User responsibilities (subsection A.9.3)
This is a very short
subsection (with one control only) that requires you to define how the
users will keep their authentication information secret (e.g., protect
their passwords). This is usually done through some document like the
Acceptable Use Policy, which defines rules like these: do not write
the passwords down, do not disclose them to anyone, do not use the
same password in different systems, etc.
In essence if a user reveals his or her password the company fails the audit.
Importance of passwords
Your password is more important than your signature used to be in the old days. Because in the old days your signature could be forged but now days your password is invisible (in theory at least).
Your password authenticates your User ID. Your User ID gives you certain but restricted powers within areas of your company. Accounting controls require separation of duties. For example a user who approves purchase orders cannot approve receipt of goods. A user who approves receipt of goods cannot approve vendor invoices.
If a criminal (or ISO27001 auditor or IT person) had access to all three passwords they could setup a fake vendor account, setup a fake purchase order, setup fake receipt of goods and pay funds to the fake vendor account.