The ISO/IEC 27000 family (also known as the 'ISMS Family of Standards', 'ISO27K', or 'ISO 27000 series') comprises information security standards published jointly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).[1]
The series provides best practice recommendations on information security management—the management of information risks through information security controls—within the context of an overall information security management system (ISMS), similar in design to management systems for quality assurance (the ISO 9000 series), environmental protection (the ISO 14000 series) and other management systems.[2][3]
The series is deliberately broad in scope, covering more than just privacy, confidentiality and IT security issues. It is applicable to organizations of all shapes and sizes. All organizations are encouraged to assess their information risks, then treat them (typically using information security controls) according to their needs, using the guidance and suggestions where relevant. Given the dynamic nature of information risk and security, the ISMS concept incorporates continuous feedback and improvement activities to respond to changes in the threats, vulnerabilities or impacts of incidents.
The standards are the product of ISO/IEC JTC 1 (Joint Technical Committee 1) SC 27 (Subcommittee 27), an international body that meets in person (face-to-face or virtually) twice a year.
The ISO/IEC standards are sold directly by ISO, mostly in English, French and Chinese. Sales outlets associated with various national standards bodies also sell directly translated versions in several languages.