Requirement
Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC – 2 : 2024) - Control - 2-4-4 – The cybersecurity requirements for email service must be reviewed periodically.
Understanding the Requirement
This control requires organizations to schedule and perform periodic reviews of the cybersecurity requirements that govern email services. Reviews should follow a documented, approved plan and be carried out by the cybersecurity function in cooperation with IT and other relevant departments. Reviews can be regular (for example, quarterly) or triggered by changes in law, supplier arrangements, or emerging threats. The outcome must include documented updates and formal approval by senior management so that email protections stay current and demonstrably managed.
Technical Implementation
- Establish a documented review plan and cadence. Define who reviews email controls, what is reviewed (policy, configuration, supplier contracts, technical protections), and how often (suggest quarterly for SMBs, or at minimum biannually). Record the plan, schedule, and approval path so reviews are auditable.
- Use a checklist and automated scans for technical controls. Create a repeatable checklist that covers SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS enforcement, inbound/outbound gateway rules, antivirus/anti-spam signatures, email gateway patch status, and mailbox access controls. Supplement manual checks with automated configuration scans and email security posture tools to catch regressions quickly.
- Combine manual and automated review channels. Perform a mix of automated compliance reports (from your email provider or a compliance management system) and manual validation (sample message flows, mailbox permission audits, and log reviews). Track findings in a centralized register with remediation owners and due dates.
- Update requirements on trigger events. Build triggers into the plan that force an out-of-cycle review: new regulations, changes to third-party email providers, significant incidents (phishing or data leakage), or new business uses of email (e.g., marketing platforms). Ensure the review updates both technical settings and policy language.
- Document decisions and obtain formal approval. For each review, produce a short report that lists findings, risk ratings, required changes, and who approved them. Require sign-off from the head of the organization or their deputy (or an assigned senior manager) to meet the approval requirement.
- Include training and verification steps. As part of the review, validate that staff awareness and phishing simulation results align with technical protections. If simulations show weaknesses, include training and a follow-up review in the remediation plan.
Example in a Small or Medium Business
AcmeTech, a 70-person company, assigns quarterly email-security reviews to its IT manager and part-time CISO. They follow a documented review plan that contains a technical checklist for SPF/DKIM/DMARC, gateway rules, mailbox permissions, third-party integrations, and supplier contract terms. The IT manager runs automated scans weekly and compiles a quarterly report that includes scan results, recent patch levels, and any phishing simulation outcomes. During one quarterly review a misconfigured DKIM selector was discovered and corrected within three days; the fix and risk assessment were recorded. When a new data-protection regulation was announced, AcmeTech triggered an out-of-cycle review, updated retention policies and supplier clauses, and logged the changes. Each completed review is summarized in a one-page report and signed by the COO, then stored in the compliance register. The combination of scheduled checks, automated monitoring, quick remediation, and documented approvals keeps their email protections aligned with business and legal needs.
Summary
Periodic review of email cybersecurity requirements combines clear policy, a documented schedule, technical validation, and formal approvals to maintain an effective email security posture. For SMBs, a practical approach uses a repeatable checklist, automated scans, trigger-based out-of-cycle reviews, and a central record of findings and approvals. This mix of governance and hands-on technical checks ensures email controls remain current, auditable, and responsive to incidents or regulatory changes.
