ISO/IEC 27019

ISO/IEC 27019 is an international standard that tailors the general information security control set from ISO/IEC 27002 to the specific needs of process control systems used in the energy utility industry. It focuses on operational technology (OT) environments such as power generation, transmission, distribution and related industrial automation systems.

The standard provides guidance on selecting and implementing information security controls for control centers, SCADA systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), remote terminal units (RTUs), field devices and supporting IT infrastructure that manage energy processes. It is intended to be used in conjunction with ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002, extending those frameworks into industrial control contexts where availability, safety and reliability are critical.

Scope and typical use in industrial environments

In practice, ISO/IEC 27019 commonly refers to:

• Adapting information security policies and procedures to control rooms and plant-floor automation in energy utilities.
• Defining role-specific access control, logging and monitoring for SCADA and other control systems.
• Addressing network segmentation, remote access, and communication security between corporate IT and OT networks.
• Aligning incident response, backup and recovery, and change management with the constraints of continuous energy operations.

It is primarily used by organizations that operate or support energy generation, transmission and distribution assets, including power plants, grid operators, and associated service providers. It is not a management system standard by itself; instead, it refines control selection and implementation within an information security management system based on ISO/IEC 27001.

Relationship to other ISO/IEC 27000 standards

• ISO/IEC 27001: defines requirements for an information security management system (ISMS). ISO/IEC 27019 is usually applied as sector-specific guidance within such an ISMS.
• ISO/IEC 27002: provides a general catalog of security controls. ISO/IEC 27019 adapts those controls to the context of energy utility control systems and OT.

Organizations in regulated manufacturing or industrial environments sometimes reference ISO/IEC 27019 alongside broader cybersecurity and operational standards, especially where manufacturing plants interact with energy utility networks or share similar OT architectures.

Common confusion

• Not the same as ISO/IEC 27001: ISO/IEC 27019 does not define requirements for certifiable information security management systems. It provides sector-specific guidance for applying controls to energy-related control systems.
• Not limited to corporate IT: The focus is on control systems and industrial automation in the energy utility sector, rather than office or business IT alone.
• Different from generic OT security standards: While it overlaps conceptually with other industrial cybersecurity frameworks, ISO/IEC 27019 is explicitly framed as an extension of ISO/IEC 27002 for energy utilities.

Context from security management discussions

When information security management systems are discussed in industrial and regulated environments, ISO/IEC 27019 is sometimes mentioned alongside ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002 as a way to address the specific characteristics of energy utility OT. Its use does not imply any particular compliance or audit result; effectiveness depends on how the controls are interpreted, implemented and integrated with other management and engineering practices.