CPCSC Level 2 Control

Last updated June 25, 2026

03.07.04Maintenance

CPCSC Level 2 03.07.04: Maintenance Tools

Apply maintenance tools to control maintenance tools, remote maintenance, and the people who service in-scope systems for CPCSC Level 2 readiness. This guide separates the official ITSP.10.171 control language from practical implementation, evidence, auditor questions, and related controls.

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Formal Control Language

Official ITSP.10.171 wording for 03.07.04. Use the Cyber Centre publication and contract requirements as the source of truth for certification, assessment, or procurement submissions.

  • Approve, control, and monitor the use of system maintenance tools
  • Check media containing diagnostic and test programs for malicious code before the media are used in the system
  • Prevent the removal of system maintenance equipment containing specified information by verifying that there is no specified information on the equipment, sanitizing or destroying the equipment, or retaining the equipment within the facility

Contains information sourced from Government of Canada material used under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

What This Means In Plain English

Maintenance Tools is part of the CPCSC Level 2 Maintenance family. This is about controlling who maintains in-scope systems, what tools they use, and how remote or third-party maintenance is approved and observed.

For a founder, CISO, engineer, or compliance owner, the practical question is whether maintenance tools is visible in real operating evidence: a setting, workflow, ticket, log, approval, review, or exception record that can survive an external assessment.

Level 2 is different from Level 1 because the evidence has to survive an external assessment. A policy statement helps, but the stronger answer is a record that shows who did the work, when it ran, what system setting or workflow enforced it, and how exceptions were handled.

How To Implement It

1

Define the in-scope systems, owners, users, vendors, and data flows affected by maintenance tools.

2

Approve maintenance tools, restrict remote maintenance paths, verify maintenance personnel, log sessions, and remove tools or access after the work is complete.

3

Translate the formal requirement into one or two operating procedures: who performs it, how often, where it is recorded, and who approves exceptions.

4

Configure the relevant systems so the control is enforced by identity, endpoint, cloud, network, ticketing, monitoring, vendor, or documentation workflows rather than memory.

5

Keep evidence in a consistent folder, GRC system, ticket queue, or audit workspace so an assessor can trace the control from requirement to implementation to review.

Evidence Normally Gathered

Maintenance Tools: maintenance tool inventory.

Maintenance Tools: remote support approvals.

Maintenance Tools: session logs.

Maintenance Tools: vendor access records.

Maintenance Tools: maintenance tickets.

Maintenance Tools: personnel authorization records.

Maintenance Tools: owner assignment and review cadence.

Maintenance Tools: exception, remediation, or POA&M records when the control is not fully implemented.

Common Auditor Questions

Where is maintenance tools implemented in the in-scope environment?

Who owns maintenance tools, and how do they know it is operating?

Show the evidence that proves maintenance tools ran during the assessment period.

What happens when maintenance tools fails, is bypassed, or has an exception?

How does this control connect to the system security plan, risk register, POA&M, and related CPCSC controls?

Sources

Source and attribution.

Formal control language is sourced from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security ITSP.10.171 publication. CPCSC Level 2 assessment context references the Government of Canada CPCSC program overview and ITSP.10.171-01 assessment guidance.

CPCSC Program OverviewITSP.10.171ITSP.10.171-01Open Government Licence - Canada