(a) Mandatory Requirements. Mandatory security controls shall be defined by the department in a Control Standards document published on the department's website.
(b) Minimum Requirements for Security Controls. The controls required by subsection (a) of this section shall include:
  (1) minimum information security requirements for all State information, information systems, and applications; and
  (2) standards to be used by all agencies to provide levels of information security according to risk categorizations.
(c) A review of the agency's information security program for compliance with these standards will be performed at least biennially, based on business risk management decisions, by individual(s) independent of the information security program and designated by the agency head or their designated representative(s).
(d) Development of Control Standards. Prior to publishing new or revised standards as required by subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the department shall:
  (1) solicit comment through the department's electronic communications channels for proposed standards from the Information Resources Managers, ITCHE, and Information Security Officers of agencies and institutions of higher education at least 30 days prior to publication of proposed standards;
  (2) after reviewing comments provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection, present proposed standards to the department's Board and obtain approval from the Board for publication; and
  (3) minimize the impact to an affected agency to the extent possible by:
    (A) ensuring that such standards and guidelines do not require the use or procurement of specific products, including any specific hardware or software;
    (B) ensuring that such standards provide for flexibility to permit alternative solutions to provide equivalent levels of protection for identified information security risks; and
    (C) using flexible standards and guidelines that permit the use of commercial off-the-shelf developed information security products.
  (4) New standards required by the department will have an effective date, not to exceed 18 months from the date of adoption, after which agencies are required to adhere to the new standard.
(e) Application of More Stringent Standards. The agency head may employ standards for the cost-effective information security of information, information resources, and applications within or under the supervision of that state agency that are more stringent than the standards the department prescribes under this section if the more stringent standards:
  (1) contain at least the applicable standards issued by the department; and/or
  (2) are consistent with applicable federal law, policies, and guidelines issued under state rule, industry standards, best practices, or deemed necessary to adequately protect the information held by the state agency.

Source Note: The provisions of this §202.26 adopted to be effective March 17, 2015, 40 TexReg 1357; amended to be effective February 10, 2022, 47 TexReg 489