SekitCrosswalk
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 · derived mapping target

A.8.7Protection against malware

Protect systems against malware with technical controls and user awareness, including up-to-date defenses and safe-use guidance for staff.

Mapped from the Sekit CSF

The Sekit controls that cover this requirement, lens by lens.

RCF-0141Container security · TechnicalsupportsContainer images are scanned before deployment and runtime restrictions enforced, extending A.8.7's malware protection into containerized workloads rather than only traditional endpoints.RCF-0148EDR/anti-malware · PolicysupportsThis policy facet requires approved endpoint protection on every device that nobody may disable, the written commitment behind A.8.7's malware defense.RCF-0149EDR/anti-malware · ProcesssupportsThe process facet keeps endpoint protection installed and current on every device and investigates its alerts within an agreed timeframe.RCF-0150EDR/anti-malware · TechnicalsupportsThe technical facet runs an EDR agent that watches behavior in real time and isolates threats automatically, the enforcement mechanism A.8.7 relies on.RCF-0180Email security · TechnicalsupportsPublishing SPF, DKIM and DMARC and filtering inbound mail for malicious links closes the email vector A.8.7 identifies as a primary malware entry point.RCF-0348Workload protection · TechnicalsupportsTooling that watches cloud workloads for threats at runtime and enforces policy per workload extends A.8.7's malware protection to cloud infrastructure.RCF-0391Phishing simulations · PolicyenablesThis policy facet mandates recurring simulated phishing exercises with defined frequency and scope, the awareness half of A.8.7's protection, pairing technical controls with user readiness.RCF-0392Phishing simulations · ProcessenablesThe process facet runs phishing simulations on schedule and gets employees who click into targeted follow-up training promptly.RCF-0393Phishing simulations · TechnicalenablesThe technical facet delivers realistic phishing simulations, measures click and report rates, and auto-assigns remediation training, the tooling behind A.8.7's user-awareness component.

NIST CSF 2.0 counterparts

Reached through the Sekit CSF controls both map to — a mapping, not a formal equivalence.

Cyber Essentials counterparts

Evidence that proves this control

What an auditor, or Sekit's evidence engine, asks for.

Email security configuration
The email protections against phishing and spoofing: anti-spam filtering and the domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
Endpoint protection console
The antivirus or advanced protection (EDR) tool installed on devices, and proof that it is deployed and up to date across the fleet.
Security awareness training records
The proof that employees receive regular security training and complete it, including role-specific training.
From the Sekit evidence catalog

In practice

Malware protection on paper usually means an antivirus license was purchased. The gap is whether it is running everywhere: an SME's EDR console typically shows a handful of devices offline or unenrolled, often exactly the ones an employee bought personally and connected to email without IT ever provisioning it. Phishing simulations run once a year around awareness month, but the employees who click are not tracked for repeat training, so the same people fail the next simulation twelve months later. Email authentication records are configured for the main domain but forgotten on a secondary one.

Common gaps

EDR is licensed for the whole fleet, but the console shows several devices offline or never enrolled, often unmanaged personal devices.
Phishing simulations run annually, but employees who click are not tracked for repeat failures or given targeted follow-up training.
Email authentication records, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, are only partially configured, leaving some company domains open to spoofing.

Questions your auditor will ask

How does the company know malware protection is running, not merely licensed?
An EDR-class agent watches endpoint behavior in real time on every device and isolates or blocks threats automatically, with alerts investigated on an agreed timeframe.
What stops a phishing email from reaching an inbox?
SPF, DKIM and DMARC are published for the domain and inbound mail is filtered for malicious links and attachments before delivery.
How does the company measure whether staff can spot phishing?
Simulated phishing campaigns run on a set cadence, measure click and report rates, and automatically assign remediation training to anyone caught.
Are containers and cloud workloads covered by malware protection, or only laptops?
Container images are scanned before deployment and cloud workload protection tooling monitors runtime behavior separately from endpoint EDR.

Where regulation demands it

NIS2 Article 21 requires protection against malicious and unauthorised software (6.9) alongside basic cyber hygiene and awareness training (8.1, 8.2).
ENS mp.s.1 requires protecting electronic mail specifically, the channel most malware and phishing attacks use to reach staff.

Related controls

Via the shared Sekit CSF topic, not the framework's own index.

Ask Sekura: “What evidence proves A.8.7?”
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