ISO 27001 GitHub Templates: Automating Compliance in Your Development Workflow

ISO 27001 is the international standard for information security management systems (ISMS). It's also a big pain for developers, as achieving certification requires significant time and effort. GitHub templates can help automate at least part of compliance documentation and processes. In this comprehensive ISO 27001 automation guide, I will show how GitHub templates can help you fulfill compliance requirements and even gather needed evidence for auditors. Whether you're preparing for ISO 27001 certification, maintaining compliance, or looking to streamline your security documentation process, this article provides practical GitHub templates and automation strategies.

Understanding ISO 27001: Complete Guide

What exactly is ISO 27001?

ISO/IEC 27001 is an information security standard that specifies requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an information security management system. It's also something that all enterprise-level SaaS applications must obtain, and the cost and time needed to complete the certification process are really significant.

Key Concepts:

ISMS: Information Security Management System
Risk Management: Identify, assess, and treat security risks
Continuous Improvement: Regular reviews and updates
Documentation: Comprehensive security documentation
Framework: General name for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Evidence: Document, screenshot, recording, etc. showing that a certain framework control is fulfilled
Control: Basically a pretty vague requirement that must be fulfilled to be certified

Why GitHub Templates?

GitHub templates help automate:

Security incident reporting
Change management documentation
Risk assessment forms
Security review checklists
Compliance audit trails
Change requests
Security implications of new features/code
Connection with bug reporting systems like Jira

Benefits:

Standardized processes
Automated documentation
Version control for compliance docs
Team collaboration
Audit-ready records
Can be mostly automated with LLMs

Setting Up GitHub Templates

1. Security Incident Report Template

Create: .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/security-incident.md

---
name: Security Incident Report
about: Report a security incident
title: "[SECURITY] "
labels: security, iso27001
assignees: ""
---

## Incident Details

**Date/Time**:
**Reported By**:
**Severity**: [ ] Low [ ] Medium [ ] High [ ] Critical
**Task**: <!-- Jira ticket link-->

## Description

<!-- Describe the security incident -->

## Impact Assessment

- **Affected Systems**:
- **Data Affected**:
- **Users Affected**:
- **Business Impact**:

## Immediate Actions Taken

<!-- List immediate containment actions -->

## Root Cause Analysis

<!-- Initial analysis of root cause -->

## Remediation Plan

- [ ] Immediate containment
- [ ] Root cause identified
- [ ] Fix implemented
- [ ] Testing completed
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Lessons learned documented

## References

- ISO 27001 Control A.16.1.1: Responsibilities and procedures
- ISO 27001 Control A.16.1.2: Reporting information security events

2. Change Management Template

Create: .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/change-management.md

---
name: Change Management Request
about: Document changes
title: "[CHANGE] "
labels: change-management, iso27001
assignees: ""
---

## Change Details

**Change Type**: [ ] Infrastructure [ ] Application [ ] Process [ ] Other
**Priority**: [ ] Low [ ] Medium [ ] High [ ] Emergency
**Requested By**:
**Planned Date/Sprint**:
**Task**: <!-- Jira ticket link-->

## Change Description

<!-- Describe the proposed change -->

## Business Justification

<!-- Why is this change needed? -->

## Risk Assessment

**Security Risks Identified**:

- [ ] No security risks
- [ ] Low risk - documented below
- [ ] Medium risk - requires review
- [ ] High risk - requires approval

**Risk Details**:

<!-- Describe identified risks -->

## Impact Analysis

- **Systems Affected**:
- **Users Affected**:
- **Downtime Expected**:
- **Rollback Plan**:

## Testing Plan

- [ ] Unit tests updated
- [ ] Integration tests updated
- [ ] Security tests performed
- [ ] Performance tests completed
- [ ] User acceptance testing done

## Approval

- [ ] Technical Lead
- [ ] Security Team
- [ ] Change Advisory Board
- [ ] Management (if required)

## References

- ISO 27001 Control A.12.1.2: Controls of operational software
- ISO 27001 Control A.12.6.1: Management of technical vulnerabilities

3. Risk Assessment Template

Create: .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/risk-assessment.md

---
name: Risk Assessment
about: Conduct risk assessment per ISO 27001 Clause 6.1.2
title: "[RISK] "
labels: risk-assessment, iso27001
assignees: ""
---

## Risk Identification

**Asset**:
**Threat**:
**Vulnerability**:
**Risk Owner**:

## Risk Analysis

**Likelihood**: [ ] Rare [ ] Unlikely [ ] Possible [ ] Likely [ ] Almost Certain
**Impact**: [ ] Negligible [ ] Minor [ ] Moderate [ ] Major [ ] Catastrophic
**Risk Level**: [ ] Low [ ] Medium [ ] High [ ] Critical

## Risk Description

<!-- Detailed description of the risk -->

## Current Controls

<!-- Existing security controls -->

## Risk Treatment

**Treatment Option**: [ ] Accept [ ] Mitigate [ ] Transfer [ ] Avoid

**Treatment Plan**:

<!-- Describe how risk will be treated -->

## Residual Risk

**After Treatment**:

- **Likelihood**:
- **Impact**:
- **Residual Risk Level**:

## Monitoring

- [ ] Risk accepted by management
- [ ] Controls implemented
- [ ] Monitoring in place
- [ ] Review scheduled

## References

- ISO 27001 Clause 6.1.2: Information security risk assessment
- ISO 27005: Risk management standard

4. Security Review Checklist

Create: .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/security-review.md

---
name: Security Review
about: Security review checklist
title: "[REVIEW] "
labels: security-review, iso27001
assignees: ""
---

## Review Scope

**Component/Feature**:
**Reviewer**:
**Date**:

## Access Control (A.9)

- [ ] User authentication implemented
- [ ] Authorization checks in place
- [ ] Principle of least privilege applied
- [ ] Access logs maintained
- [ ] Regular access reviews scheduled

**References**: ISO 27001 A.9.1 - Access control policy

## Cryptography (A.10)

- [ ] Encryption at rest implemented
- [ ] Encryption in transit (TLS) configured
- [ ] Key management procedures documented
- [ ] Cryptographic algorithms are current
- [ ] Key rotation process defined

**References**: ISO 27001 A.10.1 - Cryptographic controls

## Operations Security (A.12)

- [ ] Change management process followed
- [ ] Backup procedures tested
- [ ] Logging and monitoring configured
- [ ] Vulnerability management in place
- [ ] Capacity planning documented

**References**: ISO 27001 A.12 - Operations security

## Communications Security (A.13)

- [ ] Network security controls implemented
- [ ] Information transfer policies followed
- [ ] Secure communication channels used
- [ ] Network segregation applied

**References**: ISO 27001 A.13 - Communications security

## System Acquisition (A.14)

- [ ] Security requirements defined
- [ ] Secure development lifecycle followed
- [ ] Third-party security assessed
- [ ] Security testing completed

**References**: ISO 27001 A.14 - System acquisition, development and maintenance

## Supplier Relationships (A.15)

- [ ] Supplier security assessed
- [ ] Contracts include security requirements
- [ ] Supplier access monitored
- [ ] Regular supplier reviews conducted

**References**: ISO 27001 A.15 - Supplier relationships

## Findings

**Issues Identified**:

<!-- List any security issues found, create task in Jira and link them to start change process -->

**Recommendations**:

<!-- General recommendations for improvement -->

## Sign-off

- [ ] Review completed
- [ ] Findings documented
- [ ] Remediation plan created
- [ ] Follow-up scheduled

Pull Request Templates

Security-Focused PR Template

Create: .github/pull_request_template.md

## Description

<!-- Describe your changes -->

## Security Checklist <!-- A lot of these points can be automated with tools like gitleaks, eslint, etc. -->

- [ ] No hardcoded secrets
- [ ] Input validation implemented
- [ ] Output encoding applied
- [ ] Authentication/authorization checks added
- [ ] Error handling doesn't leak information
- [ ] Dependencies updated (no known vulnerabilities)
- [ ] Security tests added/updated

## Change Risk Assessment

- [ ] No new risks introduced
- [ ] Existing risks mitigated
- [ ] Risk assessment updated if needed

## Testing

- [ ] Unit tests added/updated
- [ ] Integration tests added/updated
- [ ] Security tests performed
- [ ] Manual testing completed

## References

- Related issues:
  - issue link
  - issue link

GitHub Actions for Compliance

Automated Security Scanning

Create: .github/workflows/iso27001-compliance.yml

name: ISO 27001 Compliance Checks

on:
  pull_request:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  security-scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Run Trivy vulnerability scanner
        uses: aquasecurity/trivy-action@master
        with:
          scan-type: "fs"
          format: "sarif"
          output: "trivy-results.sarif"

      - name: Upload Trivy results
        uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v2
        with:
          sarif_file: "trivy-results.sarif"

      - name: Check for secrets
        uses: trufflesecurity/trufflehog@main
        with:
          path: ./
          base: ${{ github.event.repository.default_branch }}
          head: HEAD

  dependency-check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Run npm audit
        run: npm audit --audit-level=moderate

      - name: Check license compliance
        uses: fossas/fossa-action@v1
        with:
          api-key: ${{ secrets.FOSSA_API_KEY }}

References:

GitHub Actions Security 1
Trivy Security Scanner 2
TruffleHog Secret Scanner 3

Compliance Documentation Generator

Create: .github/workflows/compliance-docs.yml

Note: Works only if you keep issues in GitHub

name: Generate Compliance Documentation

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: "0 0 * * 0" # Weekly
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  generate-docs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Generate compliance report
        run: |
          echo "# ISO 27001 Compliance Report" > compliance-report.md
          echo "Generated: $(date)" >> compliance-report.md
          echo "" >> compliance-report.md
          echo "## Open Security Issues" >> compliance-report.md
          gh issue list --label security --json number,title,state >> compliance-report.md
          echo "" >> compliance-report.md
          echo "## Recent Changes" >> compliance-report.md
          gh pr list --state merged --limit 10 --json number,title,mergedAt >> compliance-report.md
        env:
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

      - name: Commit compliance report
        run: |
          git config --local user.email "[email protected]"
          git config --local user.name "GitHub Action"
          git add compliance-report.md
          git commit -m "Update compliance report" || exit 0
          git push

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Startup Implementation

GitHub Repository Structure:

.github/
  ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
    security-incident.md
    change-management.md
    risk-assessment.md
    security-review.md
  pull_request_template.md
  workflows/
    iso27001-compliance.yml
    compliance-docs.yml
docs/
  iso27001/
    controls-mapping.md
    risk-register.md
    incident-log.md

Benefits Achieved:

Standardized security processes
Automated compliance tracking
Reduced audit preparation time
Improved team security awareness
Everything in the repository, easily accessible for LLMs and developers

Example 2: Enterprise Implementation

Additional Templates:

Vendor security assessment
Data processing impact assessment (GDPR)
Business continuity planning
Disaster recovery procedures

Integration:

Jira integration for workflow
Confluence for documentation
ServiceNow for incident management

References:

ISO 27001 Enterprise Implementation 4

ISO 27001 Best Practices: Expert Tips

1. Start Simple

Begin with essential templates, this can be completed in less than one workday:

Security incident reporting
Change management
Basic risk assessment

2. Customize for Your Context

Adapt templates to:

Your industry requirements
Your organization size
Your technology stack
Your compliance needs

3. Train Your Team

Document template usage
Provide training sessions
Create video tutorials (only for bigger organizations)
Establish review processes

4. Automate Where Possible

Use GitHub Actions for:

Automated security scanning
Compliance report generation
Dependency checking
Secret detection

Extra: To lower costs, you can use Husky 5 to run automation on the developer machine

5. Regular Reviews

Review templates quarterly
Update based on lessons learned
Align with ISO 27001 updates
Incorporate audit findings

Compliance Mapping

ISO 27001 Controls to GitHub Features

ISO 27001 Control	GitHub Feature	Template
A.16.1 - Incident Management	Issues	security-incident.md
A.12.1 - Change Management	Issues/PRs	change-management.md
A.6.1 - Risk Assessment	Issues	risk-assessment.md
A.14.2 - Secure Development	PR Templates	pull_request_template.md
A.12.4 - Logging	GitHub Actions	compliance-docs.yml

Complete Mapping:

ISO 27001 Controls List 6
GitHub Security Features 7

Tools and Resources

GitHub Security Features

GitHub Advanced Security 8
Dependabot 9
Code Scanning 10
Secret Scanning 11

Compliance Tools

Mindsec 12 - Automated compliance
Vanta 13 - Automated compliance
Drata 14 - Continuous compliance monitoring
Secureframe 15 - ISO 27001 automation

References

GitHub. "GitHub Actions Security Guides." https://docs.github.com/en/actions/security-guides
Aqua Security. "Trivy Security Scanner." https://github.com/aquasecurity/trivy
Truffle Security. "TruffleHog Secret Scanner." https://github.com/trufflesecurity/trufflehog
IT Governance. "ISO 27001 Enterprise Implementation." https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/iso27001
Typicode. "Husky - Git hooks made easy." https://typicode.github.io/husky/
ISMS Online. "ISO 27001 Controls List." https://www.isms.online/iso-27001/annex-a-controls/
GitHub. "GitHub Security Features." https://docs.github.com/en/code-security
GitHub. "GitHub Advanced Security." https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/get-started/learning-about-github/about-github-advanced-security
GitHub. "Dependabot." https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/dependabot
GitHub. "Code Scanning." https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/code-scanning
GitHub. "Secret Scanning." https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/secret-scanning
Mindsec. "Automated Compliance." https://mindsec.io/
Vanta. "Automated Compliance." https://vanta.com/
Drata. "Continuous Compliance Monitoring." https://drata.com/
Secureframe. "ISO 27001 Automation." https://secureframe.com/

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is ISO 27001?

ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security management systems (ISMS) that helps organizations manage and protect their information assets through risk management processes.

How can GitHub templates help with ISO 27001 compliance?

GitHub templates automate compliance documentation by standardizing security incident reports, change management processes, risk assessments, and security reviews. They create audit-ready records automatically.

Do I need GitHub Enterprise for ISO 27001 compliance?

No, GitHub templates work with both GitHub Free and GitHub Enterprise. However, GitHub Advanced Security features can provide additional compliance benefits.

How long does it take to set up ISO 27001 GitHub templates?

Basic templates can be set up in less than one workday. Start with security incident reporting, change management, and basic risk assessment templates.

Can GitHub Actions automate ISO 27001 compliance checks?

Yes, GitHub Actions can automate security scanning, dependency checking, secret detection, and compliance report generation, which helps fulfill ISO 27001 control requirements.

What ISO 27001 controls can be automated with GitHub?

Key controls include A.16.1 (Incident Management), A.12.1 (Change Management), A.6.1 (Risk Assessment), A.14.2 (Secure Development), and A.12.4 (Logging).