Primary references
Use the original standards below to check terminology and requirements. These references explain the standards; they do not endorse CISGuard or independently verify its product coverage.
All frameworks
Mass 201 CMR 17 Compliance Automation
Massachusetts 201 CMR 17,continuously evidenced.
CISGuard automates the technical security controls of the strictest US state data security regulation, with continuous evidence the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and the Attorney General both walk through.
Massachusetts, United StatesAny entity owning or licensing personal information of MA residents
- Regulation
- 201 CMR 17.00 (effective March 2010, amended 2014)
- Enforcement
- Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs + Attorney General
- Scope
- Any entity owning or licensing personal information of MA residents
- WISP requirement
- Written Information Security Program with documented technical safeguards
- Section 17.04 itemization
- 7 specific technical safeguards (mostly automatable)
- CISGuard evidence
- CIS Benchmark results for Section 17.04 technical controls; no built-in 201 CMR 17 mapping
Overview
What is Mass 201 CMR 17?
Massachusetts 201 CMR 17.00 (Standards for the Protection of Personal Information of Residents of the Commonwealth, effective March 2010, most recently amended 2014) is the strictest US state data security regulation. It applies to any person or entity that owns or licenses personal information of a Massachusetts resident, regardless of where the entity is located. The regulation requires a Written Information Security Program (WISP) with specific technical safeguards (Section 17.04) including secure user authentication protocols, secure access control measures, encryption of personal information transmitted across public networks or wirelessly, monitoring of unauthorized use or access, encryption of personal information stored on portable devices, and reasonably up-to-date firewall protection and operating system security patches. CISGuard's continuous CIS benchmark scanning satisfies the Section 17.04 itemization directly.
How CISGuard automates Mass 201 CMR 17 evidence
Massachusetts 201 CMR 17.04 explicitly itemizes 7 technical safeguards, 6 of which are directly automatable through CIS benchmark scanning, drift detection, and configuration evidence. The Massachusetts Attorney General has actively enforced the regulation since 2010 with public settlement orders that look for continuous-operation evidence (the WISP must be implemented, not just documented). CISGuard's continuous evidence base provides exactly that, with the multi-framework mapping to NIST 800-53, GDPR Article 32, and the broader US state-privacy patchwork producing portable evidence for any subsequent regulator or plaintiff-side review.
Configuration evidence supports an assessment; it does not by itself establish certification, authorization or full compliance. Review coverage boundaries and evaluation evidence.
Control mapping
Mass 201 CMR 17 Section 17.04 safeguards CISGuard automates.
Each CIS control is tagged with its framework reference. One scan produces the per-framework coverage report, with satisfied, partially satisfied and not-met status for every control.
| Control area | Controls | Mapped by |
|---|---|---|
| 17.04(1) Secure User Authentication | Authentication protocols (passwords, identifiers) | CIS Identity + Authentication benchmarks |
| 17.04(2) Secure Access Control | Access on a need-to-know basis, unique IDs | CIS Account + Identity benchmarks |
| 17.04(3) Encryption (Transmission) | Encryption of personal info on public / wireless networks | CIS Cryptography + TLS benchmarks |
| 17.04(4) Monitoring | Reasonable monitoring of unauthorized use or access | Continuous CIS scanning + drift detection + SIEM forwarding |
| 17.04(5) Encryption (Storage) | Encryption of personal info on laptops and portable devices | CIS Cryptography benchmarks on endpoint hosts |
| 17.04(7) Firewall and OS Patches | Reasonably up-to-date firewall and operating system security patches | CIS Firewall + Update benchmarks + drift detection |
Auditor evidence
Evidence artifacts CISGuard generates.
Auditor-grade outputs in PDF, HTML, JSON, CSV and SARIF. No spreadsheets, no screenshots, no manual cross-referencing.
- Mass 201 CMR 17 Section 17.04 coverage report
- WISP-supporting continuous evidence base
- Per-control technical-safeguard evidence with timestamps
- Encryption (storage and transmission) configuration evidence
- Drift detection events for monitoring expectation
- Multi-framework cross-walk to NIST 800-53, GDPR, NYDFS for evidence portability
Frequently asked
Mass 201 CMR 17 questions, answered directly.
Does Mass 201 CMR 17 apply to out-of-state businesses?
Yes. The regulation applies to any entity that owns or licenses personal information of a Massachusetts resident, regardless of where the entity is located. An out-of-state SaaS operator serving MA customers, a national retailer with MA customers, or a global biotech with MA clinical-trial participants are all in scope. CISGuard's continuous evidence base supports out-of-state operators meeting the MA AG's expectations.
What does the Written Information Security Program (WISP) need to contain?
201 CMR 17.03 specifies WISP elements including risk assessment, employee management, security policies, third-party safeguard contracts, document retention, audit and incident response. Section 17.04 specifies the technical safeguards the WISP must implement. CISGuard's continuous evidence base provides the 17.04 technical-safeguards evidence the WISP describes, with the broader 17.03 elements supported by per-engagement scoped dashboards.
How does Mass 201 CMR 17 interact with HIPAA for Kendall Square biotech?
Kendall Square biotech operators face both Mass 201 CMR 17 (for any MA resident personal information) and HIPAA Security Rule (for PHI). The technical-safeguards overlap is substantial: both require access control, encryption, monitoring, and audit-trail evidence. CISGuard's multi-framework mapping covers both from a single CIS benchmark scan, with per-regulator report exports.
What enforcement actions has the MA AG brought under 201 CMR 17?
The Massachusetts Attorney General has actively enforced 201 CMR 17 since 2010 with public settlement orders, including notable cases against retailers, healthcare providers, and financial-services operators. Settlements have ranged into the millions with corrective-action programs that look exactly like the continuous evidence base CISGuard produces.
Does CISGuard cover the strictest-state interaction between MA 201 CMR 17 and CA CCPA / CPRA?
Yes. Operators with both MA and CA customers face the two strictest US state data-security regulations simultaneously. CISGuard's continuous evidence base covers both with multi-framework mapping; per-jurisdiction report exports satisfy each regulator's expected format. The CIS Controls v8 floor that CA AG guidance points to also satisfies MA 201 CMR 17.04.
Mass 201 CMR 17 readiness, on request.
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