CPCSC Level 2 Control

Last updated June 25, 2026

03.09.01Personnel security

CPCSC Level 2 03.09.01: Personnel Screening

Apply personnel screening to manage personnel trust, screening, termination, and transfer processes around specified information 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 03.09.01. Use the Cyber Centre publication and contract requirements as the source of truth for certification, assessment, or procurement submissions.

  • Screen individuals prior to authorizing access to the system
  • Rescreen individuals in accordance with [Assignment: organization-defined conditions requiring rescreening]

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

What This Means In Plain English

Personnel Screening is part of the CPCSC Level 2 Personnel security family. This is about linking people-risk decisions to access decisions, especially when someone joins, changes roles, or leaves.

For a founder, CISO, engineer, or compliance owner, the practical question is whether personnel screening 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 personnel screening.

2

Coordinate HR, managers, IT, and security so screening, termination, transfer, access removal, and return of assets happen on a defined timeline.

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

Personnel Screening: screening records.

Personnel Screening: offboarding checklists.

Personnel Screening: transfer tickets.

Personnel Screening: asset return records.

Personnel Screening: access removal confirmations.

Personnel Screening: owner assignment and review cadence.

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

Common Auditor Questions

Where is personnel screening implemented in the in-scope environment?

Who owns personnel screening, and how do they know it is operating?

Show the evidence that proves personnel screening ran during the assessment period.

What happens when personnel screening 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