CPCSC Level 2 Control

Last updated June 25, 2026

03.14.09System and information integrity

CPCSC Level 2 03.14.09: Dedicated Administration Workstation

Apply dedicated administration workstation to find flaws, detect threats, monitor activity, and retain information appropriately 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 03.14.09. Use the Cyber Centre publication and contract requirements as the source of truth for certification, assessment, or procurement submissions.

  • Require any administrative or superuser actions to be performed from a physical workstation which is dedicated to those specific tasks and isolated from all other functions and networks, and especially from any form of internet access
  • Remote connection of a DAW to a target network is to use carrier private networks (e.g., virtual private LAN service (VPLS) or multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)) with VPN encryption
  • Use a dedicated and hardened single-purpose physical workstation or thin client as the DAW , that is not shared between security realms

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

What This Means In Plain English

Dedicated Administration Workstation is part of the CPCSC Level 2 System and information integrity family. This is about keeping systems healthy and watching for compromise through patching, malware protection, advisories, monitoring, and retention controls.

For a founder, CISO, engineer, or compliance owner, the practical question is whether dedicated administration workstation 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 dedicated administration workstation.

2

Define patch timelines, monitor alerts, deploy malicious-code protection, review advisories, use dedicated admin paths, and keep information according to retention rules.

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

Dedicated Administration Workstation: patch reports.

Dedicated Administration Workstation: EDR coverage.

Dedicated Administration Workstation: alert review tickets.

Dedicated Administration Workstation: advisory tracking records.

Dedicated Administration Workstation: monitoring dashboards.

Dedicated Administration Workstation: retention settings.

Dedicated Administration Workstation: owner assignment and review cadence.

Dedicated Administration Workstation: exception, remediation, or POA&M records when the control is not fully implemented.

Common Auditor Questions

Where is dedicated administration workstation implemented in the in-scope environment?

Who owns dedicated administration workstation, and how do they know it is operating?

Show the evidence that proves dedicated administration workstation ran during the assessment period.

What happens when dedicated administration workstation 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