NIST 800-53 AU-6

Audit Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting

Return to master list of NIST 800-53 controls.


Automated Inspection items for NIST SP 800-53 AU-6 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 AU-6
Description  Automated Tests
The organization increases audit monitoring and analysis activity when there is increased risk.
(USAGE,READAUDIT,INTERBREAK)
The organization regularly reviews/analyzes audit records.
(USAGE,READAUDIT,ANY)
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AU-6(1)
Description  Automated Tests
The organization employs automated mechanisms to review audit records.
(USAGE,READAUDIT,BATCH)
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AU-6(2)
Description  Automated Tests
Alarming based on Alarm Access Control Entries is enabled for the system.
(AUDIT,ACL,ALPROHIBIT)
(AUDIT,ACL,ALREQUIRE)
Alarming of Break-in events is enabled for all relevant login types.
(AUDIT,BREAKIN,ALPROHIBIT)
(AUDIT,BREAKIN,ALREQUIRE)
Alarming of modifications to the audit settings is enabled.
(AUDIT,AUDIT,ALPROHIBIT)
(AUDIT,AUDIT,ALREQUIRE)
OPCOM is running on the system.
(VMS,OPCOM,PROHIBITED)
(VMS,OPCOM,REQUIRED)
Some operator actually pays attention to security alarm messages.
(AUDIT,ALARM,RESPONSE)
Some terminal is enabled to receive security alarm messages.
(AUDIT,ALARM,REPORT)

Interview questions for NIST SP 800-53 AU-6 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 AU-6
AUDIT

Manual Inspection items for NIST SP 800-53 AU-6 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 AU-6
AUDIT
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AU-6(1)
POLICY
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AU-6(2)
POLICY

Manual Invasive Testing items for NIST SP 800-53 AU-6 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 AU-6
TEST_VMS_AUDANALYSIS
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AU-6(1)
TEST_ADD_AUDITANALYSIS
TEST_ADD_TIMESYNCH
NIST SP 800-53 R2 AU-6(2)
TEST_VMS_ALARM

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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