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Cybersecurity Governance Playbook

Enterprise governance framework for operating and maintaining the Cybersecurity Schema. Security data ownership, review cadences, escalation procedures, and audit readiness for Fortune 500 security programs.

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Overview

Security data governance requires heightened controls compared to general IT asset management. The data in this schema directly impacts organizational risk posture, regulatory compliance status, and incident response capabilities. Inaccurate vulnerability data leads to missed SLAs, compliance failures, and potential breaches.

What This Playbook Establishes

  • Security data ownership matrix for all five object types
  • Data quality rules specific to security data (CVE validation, CVSS ranges, remediation SLAs)
  • Review cadences for vulnerability management, risk assessments, and compliance
  • RACI matrix for security operations
  • Escalation procedures for critical vulnerabilities and potential breaches
  • Audit readiness for security and compliance data

Security Governance Structure

The Security Data Governance Committee

Security data requires a dedicated governance structure that operates alongside the CMDB Governance Board.

Role Responsibility Meeting Attendance
CISO (Chair) Strategic direction, risk appetite decisions All meetings
Vulnerability Management Lead Vulnerability data accuracy, SLA compliance All meetings
GRC Manager Compliance tracking, control assessment All meetings
Security Operations Manager Asset inventory, scanner integration All meetings
Risk Manager Risk register accuracy, treatment oversight All meetings
Internal Audit Representative Audit readiness, evidence collection Quarterly

Meeting Cadence

  • Weekly: Vulnerability triage meeting (Vulnerability Management Lead chairs)
  • Monthly: Security Data Governance Committee (CISO chairs)
  • Quarterly: Joint session with CMDB Governance Board

Data Ownership Matrix

Security Asset Ownership

Aspect Owner Details
Data Steward Security Operations Manager Accountable for inventory completeness
Source Systems Discovery tools, EDR agents, Cloud APIs Multiple authoritative sources
Update Authority Automated import; Security Engineers Manual updates require justification
Archive Authority Security Operations Manager Approve status changes to Decommissioned

Vulnerability Ownership

Aspect Owner Details
Data Steward Vulnerability Management Lead Accountable for data accuracy and SLA compliance
Source Systems Vulnerability scanners Scanner is authoritative for technical findings
Update Authority Automated import; Analysts for status Status changes follow defined workflow
Archive Authority Vulnerability Management Lead Approve False Positive and Accepted Risk

Data Quality Rules

CVE Validation Rules

Rule Validation Action on Failure
CVE ID format valid CVE-\d{4}-\d{4,} Reject import; flag for review
CVE exists in NVD API lookup to NVD Warn; allow import with flag
CVSS matches NVD Compare to NVD base score Update to NVD value; log discrepancy

Remediation SLA Rules

SLAs are calculated based on Vulnerability Severity and Asset Criticality:

Critical Asset High Asset Medium Asset Low Asset
Critical Vuln 1 day 3 days 7 days 14 days
High Vuln 3 days 7 days 14 days 30 days
Medium Vuln 7 days 14 days 30 days 60 days
Low Vuln 14 days 30 days 60 days 90 days

Review Cadences

Daily Operations

Activity Owner Deliverable
New vulnerability review Vulnerability Management Lead Triage decisions, assignments
SLA breach monitoring Security Operations Breach alerts, escalations
Critical vulnerability alert Security Operations Immediate escalation
Scanner import validation Security Engineer Import success report

Weekly Reviews

Activity Day Deliverable
Vulnerability triage meeting Monday Prioritized remediation queue
Remediation progress review Wednesday Status report, blockers identified
SLA compliance report Friday Weekly SLA metrics

Monthly Reviews

  • Week 1: Security Data Governance Committee meeting
  • Week 2: Risk register review with updated scores
  • Week 3: Control assessment cycle
  • Week 4: Security asset inventory audit

Escalation Procedures

Vulnerability Escalation Levels

Level Authority Response Time
L1 Remediation Assignee Within SLA
L2 Vulnerability Management Lead 4 hours (Critical), 1 day (High)
L3 Security Operations Manager 1 day
L4 CISO 2 days

Risk Acceptance Approval Thresholds

Residual Score Approval Authority Documentation Required
1-5 (Low) Security Operations Manager Business justification, compensating controls
6-11 (Medium) Security Operations Manager Justification, controls, expiration date
12-19 (High) CISO Formal memo, controls, quarterly review
20-25 (Critical) Governance Committee Executive memo, board notification, monthly review

Audit Readiness

Pre-Audit Checklist

  • Verify all control Evidence Locations are accessible
  • Confirm control-to-requirement mappings are complete
  • Run data quality scans and remediate critical findings
  • Generate 12-month vulnerability metrics (MTTR, SLA compliance)
  • Export risk register with treatment status
  • Compile risk acceptance decisions from period
  • Verify scanner import logs are retained
  • Update ownership matrix with current assignments
  • Brief Data Stewards on audit scope

Evidence Collection by Audit Type

Vulnerability Management Audit:

  • Scanner configuration and scan schedules
  • Vulnerability import logs (last 12 months)
  • SLA compliance metrics by severity and period
  • False positive and risk acceptance approvals

Compliance Audit (SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS):

  • Control inventory with implementation status
  • Control-to-requirement mappings
  • Assessment schedules and results
  • Evidence links for each implemented control
  • Gap remediation tracking

RACI Matrix

Vulnerability Management

Activity Vuln Lead Sec Ops Mgr CISO Assigned To
Scanner configuration C A I -
Vulnerability import R A I -
Triage and prioritization R A I -
Remediation execution I I I R
Risk acceptance approval C C A R

Legend: R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed

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