CPCSC Level 2 Control

Last updated June 25, 2026

03.15.02Planning

CPCSC Level 2 03.15.02: System Security Plan

Apply system security plan to document how the system is scoped, protected, used, and governed 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 03.15.02. Use the Cyber Centre publication and contract requirements as the source of truth for certification, assessment, or procurement submissions.

  • Develop a system security and privacy plan that: defines the constituent system components
  • identifies the information types processed, stored, and transmitted by the system
  • describes specific threats to the system that are of concern to the organization
  • describes the operational environment for the system and any dependencies on or connections to other systems or system components
  • provides an overview of the security requirements for the system
  • describes the safeguards in place or planned for meeting the security requirements
  • identifies individuals that fulfill system roles and responsibilities
  • includes other relevant information necessary for the protection of specified information
  • Review and update the system security plan [Assignment: organization-defined frequency]
  • Protect the system security plan from unauthorized disclosure

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

What This Means In Plain English

System Security Plan is part of the CPCSC Level 2 Planning family. This is about documenting the system, its scope, its rules, and the people responsible for protecting specified information.

For a founder, CISO, engineer, or compliance owner, the practical question is whether system security plan 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 system security plan.

2

Maintain security policies, system security plans, and rules of behaviour that reflect the actual in-scope environment and are reviewed when the environment changes.

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

System Security Plan: policy documents.

System Security Plan: system security plan.

System Security Plan: rules of behaviour acknowledgements.

System Security Plan: review records.

System Security Plan: scope diagrams.

System Security Plan: owner assignment and review cadence.

System Security Plan: exception, remediation, or POA&M records when the control is not fully implemented.

Common Auditor Questions

Where is system security plan implemented in the in-scope environment?

Who owns system security plan, and how do they know it is operating?

Show the evidence that proves system security plan ran during the assessment period.

What happens when system security plan 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