Modern businesses depend on applications to manage customer information, process transactions, deliver digital services, and support daily operations. However, every application also introduces security risks that can expose sensitive data, disrupt services, or create compliance challenges.

A single vulnerable application can provide attackers with access to critical business systems. Weak authentication, insecure APIs, outdated software components, and poor access controls can create opportunities for unauthorized access and data breaches.

Many organizations invest in application security testing but struggle to maintain consistent security practices across their software portfolios. Development teams may follow different procedures, security assessments may happen too late, and important risks may remain unresolved before applications are released.

ISO/IEC 27034 is an international application security standards series that helps organizations integrate security into the processes used to manage applications throughout their life cycle. It provides a structured approach to application security governance, risk assessments, security controls, and continuous improvement.

Rather than treating application security as a final testing activity, ISO 27034 encourages organizations to establish repeatable security processes that can be applied across different applications and development environments.

In this guide, we explain what ISO 27034 is, its key principles, important requirements, application security frameworks, and practical steps organizations can take to improve application security governance.

What is ISO 27034?

ISO/IEC 27034 is an international standards series that provides guidance and structured processes for managing application security throughout the application life cycle.

It helps organizations establish consistent security practices for applications they develop internally, purchase from external vendors, or outsource to third-party providers.

The standard addresses more than application vulnerabilities. It considers the policies, responsibilities, processes, risks, and controls that influence application security.

For example, a company developing a customer portal needs to consider how sensitive information will be protected, who can access the application, which security controls are necessary, and how those controls will be verified.

ISO 27034 helps organizations manage these decisions through a structured application security framework.

What is the main purpose of ISO 27034?

The primary purpose of ISO 27034 is to help organizations integrate application security into their existing business and technology processes.

It supports a consistent approach to identifying application security risks, selecting appropriate safeguards, implementing controls, and verifying that applications meet their intended security objectives.

This approach is particularly useful for organizations managing multiple applications across different development teams, business units, and external service providers.

Instead of creating separate security practices for every application, organizations can establish common governance rules while allowing individual applications to receive security controls based on their specific risks.

Understanding the ISO 27034 standards series

ISO 27034 consists of multiple parts addressing different aspects of application security management.

Understanding these parts helps organizations identify the guidance most relevant to their security programs.

Standard	Main focus	Purpose
ISO/IEC 27034-1:2011	Overview and concepts	Introduces the principles, terminology, and overall application security framework
ISO/IEC 27034-2:2015	Organization Normative Framework	Explains how to establish and maintain organization-wide application security governance
ISO/IEC 27034-3:2018	Application Security Management Process	Provides processes for managing security at the individual application level
ISO/IEC 27034-5:2017	Application Security Controls data structure	Describes essential attributes used to document and manage application security controls
ISO/IEC TS 27034-5-1:2018	Application Security Controls XML schemas	Defines XML structures for exchanging application security control information
ISO/IEC 27034-6:2016	Case studies	Provides examples of applying the application security framework
ISO/IEC 27034-7:2018	Assurance prediction framework	Addresses the prediction and evaluation of application security assurance

The series uses several connected frameworks and processes to help organizations manage application security consistently.

ISO/IEC 27034-1:2011 remains the published foundational edition and was confirmed in 2022. Organizations should consult the relevant published parts rather than assuming that a single document contains the entire framework.

What are ISO 27034 requirements?

ISO 27034 requirements refer to the application security governance, management processes, and control practices described across the ISO/IEC 27034 series.

An important distinction is that the series contains both guidance and specific process requirements within its individual parts. It should not be treated as a single universal checklist of technical security controls.

For example, ISO/IEC 27034-3 provides requirements and guidance for the Application Security Management Process and Application Normative Framework.

Organizations should evaluate the relevant parts of the series and determine which practices apply to their application environments.

The following areas represent the major implementation priorities.

1. Establish application security governance

Organizations should define how application security is managed across business units, development teams, and external providers.

This includes establishing policies, responsibilities, decision-making processes, and oversight arrangements.

For example, an organization may require applications that process financial information to undergo additional security assessments before deployment.

These expectations should be documented and communicated to the teams responsible for application delivery.

2. Identify application security risks

Applications should be evaluated according to their business purpose, information sensitivity, technical environment, and potential security threats.

A public-facing payment application may require stronger safeguards than an internal application that processes noncritical information.

Risk assessments help organizations determine which security measures are appropriate rather than applying the same controls to every system.

3. Define and implement application security controls

Organizations should select security controls that address identified risks and support their security objectives.

These may include authentication, authorization, encryption, secure configuration, logging, input validation, and vulnerability management.

The selected controls should be documented, assigned to responsible teams, and verified through appropriate methods.

4. Maintain application security throughout the life cycle

Security responsibilities should continue after an application is released. Organizations need processes for managing software changes, evaluating new vulnerabilities, reviewing access permissions, and responding to security incidents.

This helps ensure that applications remain appropriately protected as business requirements and technology environments evolve.

5. Verify security control effectiveness

Implementing a security control does not automatically demonstrate that it works.

Organizations should establish suitable verification activities to determine whether controls have been implemented correctly and meet the intended security objectives.

Evidence may include security test results, configuration reviews, risk assessments, and documented remediation activities.

Key principles of ISO 27034 application security

ISO 27034 introduces a structured approach to application security based on several important principles.

These principles help organizations move beyond isolated security activities and establish a more consistent management approach.

Security should be integrated into the application life cycle

Application security should begin when an application is planned rather than after development is complete.

Security considerations should influence requirements, architecture, development, testing, deployment, operations, and maintenance.

For example, a development team creating a healthcare application should identify sensitive data protection requirements before selecting its database architecture.

Addressing these concerns early can reduce costly changes and prevent security weaknesses from becoming part of the application design.

Application security should be risk-based

Not every application presents the same level of risk. The required safeguards should reflect the application’s business importance, data sensitivity, exposure to threats, and operating environment.

A public-facing application processing payment information may require stronger security controls and more frequent testing than a low-risk internal tool.

Risk-based decision-making helps organizations allocate security resources where they provide the greatest value.

Security responsibilities should be clearly assigned

Application security involves multiple stakeholders, including business owners, developers, security professionals, operations teams, and external providers.

Each stakeholder should understand their responsibilities. For example, developers may implement secure coding practices, security teams may assess risks and verify controls, and application owners may approve important security decisions.

Clear accountability reduces the likelihood that critical security activities will be overlooked.

Security controls should be repeatable and verifiable

Organizations should establish consistent methods for documenting and evaluating application security controls.

Repeatable practices help different teams apply security expectations in a comparable way.

Verification provides evidence that controls have been implemented and are functioning as intended.

This is especially important for organizations managing large application portfolios or operating in regulated industries.

Application security should support continuous improvement

Applications change over time, and new security risks emerge as technology evolves.

Organizations should review security findings, incidents, control performance, and changes in application architecture.

The results should inform improvements to security policies, controls, and management processes.

This helps organizations maintain application security as an ongoing business activity.

The Organization Normative Framework (ONF) explained

One of the central concepts in ISO 27034 is the Organization Normative Framework (ONF).

The ONF provides an organization-wide structure for managing application security information and expectations.

It acts as a centralized reference for application security policies, practices, controls, and related governance information.

ISO/IEC 27034-2 provides detailed guidance on establishing and maintaining this framework.

What does the ONF include?

An organization’s ONF can bring together information such as:

• Application security policies and standards.
• Organizational roles and responsibilities.
• Relevant legal, regulatory, and contractual considerations.
• Application security control information.
• Security assessment and verification practices.
• Guidance for managing application security risks.

The objective is to establish a common foundation that application teams can use when making security decisions.

Why is the ONF important?

Without a shared governance framework, different development teams may adopt inconsistent security practices.

One team may perform security testing before every major release, while another may rely on occasional assessments.

The ONF helps organizations define common expectations while allowing application-specific security decisions.

For example, a financial services company may establish organization-wide requirements for access control, sensitive data protection, and security testing.

Individual application teams can then apply those expectations according to their application’s risk profile.

What is the Application Security Management Process (ASMP)?

The Application Security Management Process (ASMP) provides a structured approach to managing security for individual applications.

ISO/IEC 27034-3:2018 describes the ASMP and explains how organizations can apply relevant parts of the ONF to specific applications.

The process helps organizations translate general security expectations into application-specific activities and controls.

Step 1: Identify application requirements and environment

The first step involves understanding the application’s purpose, stakeholders, information, technical environment, and relevant security requirements.

For example, a customer banking application may process financial transactions, personal information, and authentication credentials.

These characteristics influence the security measures needed to protect the application.

Step 2: Assess application security risks

Organizations evaluate threats, vulnerabilities, and potential consequences affecting the application.

The assessment should consider how the application operates and the risks associated with its information and supporting systems.

The findings help determine appropriate security objectives and the application’s Targeted Level of Trust.

Step 3: Create and maintain the Application Normative Framework

The Application Normative Framework (ANF) contains the application-specific security information and controls selected for the application.

It applies relevant organizational security expectations to the application’s particular requirements and risks.

For example, an application processing confidential customer information may require specific encryption, access control, and logging safeguards.

Step 4: Provision and operate the application

The organization implements the selected controls as the application is developed, acquired, deployed, and operated.

This includes ensuring that relevant security activities are incorporated into the application’s operational environment.

Security responsibilities should remain clear as the application moves from development into production.

Step 5: Verify application security

The final stage evaluates whether the selected controls and application security arrangements have been implemented appropriately.

Verification may involve security testing, control reviews, and examination of supporting evidence.

Findings should be documented and addressed according to their risk and significance.

The process should be revisited when important application changes or new risks affect the security environment.

Understanding Application Security Controls (ASCs)

Application Security Controls, commonly called ASCs, are another important concept within ISO 27034.

ASCs help organizations document and manage the safeguards used to address application security risks.

ISO/IEC 27034-5 describes essential attributes for application security controls and supports consistent control documentation.

Examples of Application Security Controls

The following table presents practical security control categories that organizations may consider when applying ISO 27034.

These are illustrative control examples rather than an official numbered ISO 27034 control catalog.

Security control area	Example implementation	Security objective
Authentication	Multifactor authentication for privileged users	Reduce unauthorized access
Authorization	Role-based access control	Limit access to approved functions
Data protection	Encryption of sensitive information	Protect confidentiality
Input validation	Server-side validation of user input	Reduce injection and related vulnerabilities
Session management	Secure session expiration and token handling	Reduce session misuse
Logging and monitoring	Record security-relevant application events	Support detection and investigation
Secure configuration	Remove unnecessary services and default credentials	Reduce exposure to avoidable weaknesses
Vulnerability management	Assess and remediate identified vulnerabilities	Reduce exploitable security gaps
Dependency security	Evaluate third-party software components	Manage software supply chain risks
Security verification	Conduct appropriate application security testing	Confirm control implementation

The appropriate combination of controls depends on the application’s risk profile, business requirements, and operating environment.

ISO 27034 vs ISO 27001: How are they different?

ISO 27034 and ISO 27001 both support information security, but they address different areas of security management.

ISO/IEC 27001 establishes requirements for an Information Security Management System (ISMS).

ISO/IEC 27034 focuses specifically on integrating security into application management processes.

Comparison area	ISO 27034	ISO 27001
Primary focus	Application security	Organization-wide information security management
Main purpose	Integrate security into application processes	Establish and improve an ISMS
Scope	Application life cycle and application-specific risks	Information security risks within the defined ISMS scope
Main frameworks	ONF, ANF, and ASMP	ISMS requirements and risk treatment processes
Certification	No general standalone accredited organizational certification scheme	Accredited organizational certification available
Main stakeholders	Application owners, developers, security teams, and operations	Leadership, risk managers, security teams, and business functions

Organizations can use ISO 27034 to strengthen application security practices within their broader ISO 27001 information security management programs.

For example, an organization implementing ISO 27001 may identify application security as an important risk treatment area.

ISO 27034 can provide a more detailed framework for managing application-specific security activities and controls.

How to implement ISO 27034 in your organization

Implementing ISO 27034 requires coordination between application owners, security teams, development teams, and organizational leadership.

The following approach can help organizations establish a practical application security program.

1. Assess your current application security practices

Begin by reviewing existing application security policies, development procedures, risk assessments, and testing activities.

Identify inconsistencies between teams and determine whether important security responsibilities are documented.

This assessment provides a baseline for improving application security governance.

2. Establish application security governance

Define the organizational policies, roles, and decision-making processes that will support application security.

Determine who is responsible for maintaining the ONF and approving important security expectations.

Ensure that relevant business and technology stakeholders participate in governance decisions.

3. Create an application inventory

Identify the applications used across the organization, including internally developed, purchased, and externally managed applications.

Record relevant ownership, business purpose, information sensitivity, and technology dependencies.

This information helps organizations determine where application security assessments should be prioritized.

4. Apply risk-based security assessments

Evaluate applications according to their importance and exposure to security threats.

Use the results to determine appropriate security objectives and control priorities.

High-risk applications may require more extensive security reviews, stronger safeguards, and additional verification activities.

5. Integrate security into development and change processes

Application security should be considered during requirements gathering, architecture design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

Organizations can incorporate appropriate security activities into existing software development and change management workflows.

This helps reduce the likelihood that security becomes a separate activity performed only before release.

6. Establish control verification and remediation processes

Define how application security controls will be verified and how identified weaknesses will be addressed.

Assign responsibility for remediation and establish appropriate timelines based on risk.

Maintain evidence of completed assessments, security reviews, and corrective actions.

7. Review and improve the program

Evaluate the effectiveness of application security governance and control implementation.

Use assessment findings, incident information, technology changes, and operational feedback to identify improvements.

Update relevant frameworks and processes when business or security requirements change.

ISO 27034 implementation checklist

Organizations can use the following checklist to evaluate their application security governance and management practices.

Assessment question	Recommended evidence
Are application security responsibilities formally assigned?	Governance documentation and role assignments
Is an Organization Normative Framework established?	ONF documentation and approved policies
Are applications identified and classified according to risk?	Application inventory and risk classifications
Are application-specific security risks assessed?	Application risk assessment records
Are security objectives established for important applications?	Approved security requirements
Are relevant Application Security Controls documented?	Control records and application security documentation
Are security activities integrated into application processes?	Development and change management procedures
Are application security controls verified?	Security assessment and testing evidence
Are identified security weaknesses tracked?	Remediation records and risk treatment plans
Are application security practices periodically reviewed?	Review reports and improvement records

This checklist is a practical assessment aid and should not be treated as a complete reproduction of the ISO/IEC 27034 series.

Organizations should consult the relevant official publications when conducting detailed assessments.

Common challenges when implementing ISO 27034

Although ISO 27034 provides a structured approach to application security, organizations may face challenges when applying it across complex technology environments.

Inconsistent security practices across development teams

Different teams may use different technologies, development methods, and security procedures.

Without common governance expectations, security controls may be applied inconsistently.

A centralized ONF can help establish shared practices while allowing appropriate flexibility for individual applications.

Limited visibility into application security risks

Organizations may maintain application inventories, vulnerability reports, and risk assessments in separate systems.

This can make it difficult to understand which applications present the greatest risks or which findings remain unresolved.

Consistent risk assessment processes and centralized reporting can improve management visibility.

Difficulty managing third-party applications

Organizations may have limited control over applications developed or operated by external providers.

They should establish appropriate supplier security expectations and evaluate available assurance evidence.

Contractual responsibilities and relevant security obligations should be considered when acquiring or outsourcing applications.

Weak documentation and control evidence

Security activities may be performed without maintaining sufficient evidence of their results.

This creates difficulties when management needs to evaluate security effectiveness or demonstrate that important controls were reviewed.

Organizations should establish consistent documentation practices and retain relevant assessment records.

How to measure application security program effectiveness

Application security performance should be evaluated through meaningful indicators rather than relying only on the number of security tests performed.

The following metrics can help organizations assess implementation progress.

Performance indicator	What it measures
Application inventory coverage	Percentage of relevant applications recorded and assigned owners
Risk assessment coverage	Percentage of in-scope applications with current risk assessments
Security control verification rate	Percentage of selected controls verified through appropriate methods
Critical vulnerability remediation time	Time required to address critical application vulnerabilities
Security review completion rate	Percentage of required security reviews completed
Overdue remediation findings	Number of unresolved findings beyond approved timelines
Application security policy exceptions	Number and status of approved exceptions
Third-party application assessment coverage	Percentage of relevant external applications assessed

Organizations should define targets based on their own risk tolerance, application portfolio, and operational requirements.

These metrics can help leadership identify weaknesses and determine where additional attention is needed.

Conclusion: Strengthen application security governance with CyberArrow GRC

Application security requires more than identifying vulnerabilities and fixing software defects. Organizations need consistent governance, risk-based security decisions, effective controls, and clear accountability throughout the application life cycle.

ISO 27034 requirements provide a structured foundation for managing application security risks and integrating security into organizational processes.

At CyberArrow, we help organizations strengthen these governance activities through our integrated CyberArrow GRC platform.

Our platform helps teams centralize risk assessments, manage policies and controls, automate compliance workflows, organize evidence, and track remediation activities. These capabilities support stronger oversight of application security governance and risk management programs.

CyberArrow is trusted by the world’s biggest brands across the US, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

FAQs