Access to Source Code

It is a technological control requiring organizations to appropriately manage read and write access to source code, development tools, and software libraries to protect intellectual property and ensure code integrity.

Organizations control this by utilizing role-based access control (RBAC) within version control platforms, granting read-only access to personnel who need to view code, and restricting write access to actively contributing developers.

ISO 27001 control 8.4 audit evidence typically includes an approved Access Control Policy, a production code access list, screenshots of branch protection configurations, and documented examples of formal access requests. Tools like WatchDog Security's Policy Management can help version the Access Control Policy and track stakeholder acknowledgements. WatchDog Security's Compliance Center can help map evidence to A.8.4, assign owners, and keep a time-stamped collection ready for audits.

Branch protection rules for ISO 27001 prevent unauthorized or direct commits to critical branches, ensuring that all code changes undergo peer review and automated testing before being merged, thereby maintaining code integrity.

Access must be provisioned through a formal request workflow based on the principle of least privilege, periodically reviewed during user access reviews, and immediately revoked via a formal offboarding process upon termination. WatchDog Security's Compliance Center can help schedule access reviews, capture approvals, and retain offboarding evidence in one place.

To manage access to development tools ISO 27001 dictates that organizations apply strict RBAC, separate duties between development and deployment personnel, and restrict administrative privileges over build pipelines.

To control access to software libraries and packages, organizations should use private, authenticated package registries, enforce dependency scanning, and restrict who has the authority to publish or modify internal libraries.

Audit logging for source code repository access involves enabling platform-level logs in version control systems to track clone, fetch, commit, and permission modification events, frequently forwarding them to a centralized SIEM.

Common nonconformities include failing to revoke repository access for terminated employees, allowing direct pushes to production branches without review, and lacking a documented source code access policy template.

Emergency access should be managed using a formal break-glass procedure where temporary, elevated write access is granted, fully logged, and subsequently reviewed to ensure all changes were authorized and compliant.

Evidence for A.8.4 is often scattered across repo settings, IdP logs, CI/CD tools, and access tickets, which makes audits slower and increases the chance of gaps. WatchDog Security's Compliance Center can organize A.8.4 evidence by control and owner, and WatchDog Security's Secure File Sharing can securely share selected artifacts with auditors with access logging.

Recurring access reviews typically require a current list of who has read/write/admin access across repos and tooling, plus documented approvals and removals. WatchDog Security's Asset Inventory can help maintain a system and identity inventory for review scoping, and WatchDog Security's Compliance Center can schedule review tasks and retain reviewer attestations as audit-ready evidence.