NIST 800-53 AC-2

Account Management

Return to master list of NIST 800-53 controls.


Automated Inspection items for NIST SP 800-53 AC-2 assessment.

Automated Inspection items are efficient enough that they can usually be part of a CA-7 Continuous Monitoring program on a daily (or in some cases hourly) basis, simultaneously meeting the requirements of RA-5 Vulnerability Scanning. While NIST 800-53 allows Continuous Monitoring results to be used for CA-2 Security Assessments and CA-4 Security Certification, a separate run using the same automated Inspection items in combination with more laborious items for CA-2 and CA-4 adds no significant burden.

Depending on FIPS 199 impact level and whether the Industrial Control Systems (ICS/SCADA) subset of 800-53 is chosen,  LJK/Security™ starter templates provide automated Inspection items as follows:

NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2
Description  Automated Tests
Each Username shall have a privilege level (Category) no greater than Normal.
(UAF,PRIVLEVEL,ABSOLUTHI)
(UAF,PRIVLEVEL,ABSOLUTLO)
Each active username is specifically authorized by the organization.
(UAF,DISUSER,REQUIRED)
Each temporary or emergency Username shall terminate within 90 days.
(UAF,EXPIRATION,RELATIVHI)
(UAF,EXPIRATION,RELATIVLO)
No device shall use UIC-based identifiers in an Access Control Entry.
(DEVICE,ACLIDENT,NOUIC)
No file shall use UIC-based identifiers in an Access Control Entry.
(DISK,ACLIDENT,NOUIC)
No terminal shall use UIC-based identifiers in an Access Control Entry.
(TERM,ACLIDENT,NOUIC)
Queues are properly protected.
(QUEUE,ACLIDENT,NOUIC)
VMS Accounting is enabled for all but the resource-intensive Image Accounting.
(ACC,BATCH,REQUIRED)
(ACC,DETACHED,REQUIRED)
(ACC,INTERACT,REQUIRED)
(ACC,LOGFAIL,REQUIRED)
(ACC,MESSAGE,REQUIRED)
(ACC,NETWORK,REQUIRED)
(ACC,PRINT,REQUIRED)
(ACC,PROCESS,REQUIRED)
(ACC,SUBPROCESS,REQUIRED)
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(1)
Description  Automated Tests
UAF modification shall only be via Batch or Detached jobs (not Interactive or Network).
(USAGE,UAFMODIFY,PROHIBITED)
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(2)
Description  Automated Tests
Each temporary or emergency Username shall terminate within 90 days.
(UAF,EXPIRATION,RELATIVLO)
(UAF,EXPIRATION,RELTEMPHI)
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(3)
Description  Automated Tests
Each Username not used in the past 90 days shall be disabled.
(UAF,LASTLOGIN,EITHER)
(USAGE,UAFMODIFY,DISUNUSED)
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(4)
Description  Automated Tests
Alarm of Authorization events to appropriate individuals is enabled.
(AUDIT,AUTHORIZE,ALPROHIBIT)
(AUDIT,AUTHORIZE,ALREQUIRE)
Auditing of Authorization events is enabled.
(AUDIT,AUTHORIZE,AUPROHIBIT)
(AUDIT,AUTHORIZE,AUREQUIRE)
Some operator actually pays attention to security alarm messages.
(AUDIT,ALARM,RESPONSE)
The organization employs automated mechanisms to review audit records.
(USAGE,READAUDIT,BATCH)

Interview questions for NIST SP 800-53 AC-2 assessment.

Interview questions are useful mainly for CA-2 Security Assessments and CA-4 Security Certification. For most environments they are too laborious to include in CA-7 Continuous Monitoring.

Depending on FIPS 199 impact level and whether the Industrial Control Systems (ICS/SCADA) subset of 800-53 is chosen,  LJK/Security™ starter templates provide Interview questions in the following groups:

Determination Statement Number Group Names
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2
ACCSTAFF

Manual Inspection items for NIST SP 800-53 AC-2 assessment.

Manual Inspection items are useful mainly for CA-2 Security Assessments and CA-4 Security Certification. For most environments they are too laborious to include in CA-7 Continuous Monitoring.

Depending on FIPS 199 impact level and whether the Industrial Control Systems (ICS/SCADA) subset of 800-53 is chosen,  LJK/Security™ starter templates provide Manual Inspection items in the following groups:

Determination Statement Number Group Names
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2
POLICY
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(1)
POLICY
TESTACCMGT
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(2)
POLICY
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(3)
POLICY
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(4)
POLICY

Manual Invasive Testing items for NIST SP 800-53 AC-2 assessment.

Manual Invasive Testing items are useful mainly for CA-2 Security Assessments and CA-4 Security Certification. For most environments they are too laborious to include in CA-7 Continuous Monitoring. The level of effort required and the degree of invasiveness are so high (in most cases making up for lack of Common Criteria evaluation) that arrangement as a Common Control is almost always a requirement for execution.

Depending on FIPS 199 impact level and whether the Industrial Control Systems (ICS/SCADA) subset of 800-53 is chosen,  LJK/Security™ starter templates provide Manual Invasive Testing items in the following groups:

Determination Statement Number Group Names
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(1)
TESTACCMGT
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(2)
TESTACCMGT
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(3)
TESTDISABLEINACT
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AC-2(4)
TESTACCNOTIFY

Descriptions above apply to  LJK/Security™ Version 3.0.

The notation NIST SP 800-53 above refers in particular to NIST Special Publication 800-53 Revision 2.

Those NIST Special Publications specify security standards in support of FISMA for US Federal Government civil activities.

Return to master list of NIST 800-53 controls.


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