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Glossary term

BSI C5

Also: Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria Catalogue, C5 attestation

Cloud audit catalogue of the German BSI that defines minimum security baseline and transparency duties. Evidenced via an ISAE 3000 C5 attestation. De facto standard for cloud procurement in the German market.

C5 is not a certificate but an attestation under ISAE 3000. It confirms that a cloud provider meets the C5 criteria at a point in time (Type 1) or over a period (Type 2). Current version: C5:2020.

C5 aligns with ISO 27001/27017/27018 plus cloud-specific requirements: tenant separation, transparency on data locations, employee background checks, sub-processor management, auditability. In regulated procurement (banks under BAIT, insurers under VAIT) C5 Type 2 is often required as minimum evidence.

Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud and SAP hold C5 attestations. Smaller SaaS providers without C5 are often not viable in banking and insurance procurement.

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