1. Purpose
Establish requirements for monitoring [ORGANIZATION]'s network for security threats, anomalies, and policy violations.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all network infrastructure, traffic, and communications within or traversing [ORGANIZATION]'s network environment.
3. Policy
3.1 Network Traffic Monitoring
[ORGANIZATION] shall deploy network monitoring capabilities that provide visibility into: all traffic traversing network perimeters (north-south), traffic between internal network segments (east-west), DNS queries and responses, encrypted traffic metadata (without breaking encryption where not required), and remote access session activity.
Full packet capture (PCAP) shall be maintained for network perimeter traffic for at least [CUSTOMIZE: 72 hours/7 days] for forensic purposes.
Network flow data (NetFlow/IPFIX) shall be collected and retained for at least [CUSTOMIZE: 30/90] days.
3.2 Alerting and Response
Automated alerts shall be configured for: connections to known threat indicators (IPs, domains, URLs), data exfiltration patterns (large outbound transfers, unusual protocols), lateral movement indicators, new or unauthorized network services, and deviations from established network baselines.
Network security alerts shall be triaged within [CUSTOMIZE: 15 minutes/1 hour/4 hours] based on severity.
A network security operations process shall be documented covering: alert triage and prioritization, investigation procedures, escalation criteria, and incident handoff to the incident response team.
3.3 Traffic Filtering
Outbound traffic shall be filtered to block: connections to known malicious destinations, unauthorized protocols, and unencrypted transmission of sensitive data patterns.
Web proxy or secure web gateway shall be deployed for all outbound HTTP/HTTPS traffic with SSL inspection for [CUSTOMIZE: all traffic / non-exempt categories].
URL/content filtering shall block access to categories including: malware distribution, phishing, and command-and-control domains.
4. Compliance
Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all personnel within its scope. Compliance will be monitored through periodic audits, automated controls, and management review.
Exceptions to this policy must be documented with a business justification, approved by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Security Team], and reviewed at least annually.
5. Enforcement
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or contract, and may result in civil or criminal penalties where applicable law has been violated.
[ORGANIZATION] reserves the right to audit compliance with this policy at any time, with or without notice.
6. Review and Revision
This policy shall be reviewed at least annually by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Policy Owner] and updated as necessary to reflect changes in the threat landscape, regulatory requirements, or organizational structure.
All revisions shall be documented with version number, date, author, and description of changes.
Policy Approval
Approved By
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