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AC-16(7) AC · Access Control

Consistent Attribute Interpretation

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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Provide a consistent interpretation of security and privacy attributes transmitted between distributed system components.

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

To enforce security and privacy policies across multiple system components in distributed systems, organizations provide a consistent interpretation of security and privacy attributes employed in access enforcement and flow enforcement decisions. Organizations can establish agreements and processes to help ensure that distributed system components implement attributes with consistent interpretations in automated access enforcement and flow enforcement actions.

Implementation Guidance

Engineering Interpretation

Original engineering commentary written for this explorer — not NIST source text and not authoritative guidance.

No engineering interpretation has been authored for AC-16(7) yet. This section is architected to receive it — see the Requirements and Assessment sections above for the authoritative NIST source content in the meantime.

Assessment

NIST SP 800-53A REV 5.2.0

Assessment Objectives

  1. a consistent interpretation of security attributes transmitted between distributed system components is provided;
  2. a consistent interpretation of privacy attributes transmitted between distributed system components is provided.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Access control policies and procedures; procedures addressing consistent interpretation of security and privacy attributes transmitted between distributed system components; procedures addressing access enforcement; procedures addressing information flow enforcement; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; system audit records; system security plan; privacy access control policy; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with responsibilities for providing consistent interpretation of security and privacy attributes used in access enforcement and information flow enforcement actions; organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities; system developers].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Mechanisms implementing access enforcement and information flow enforcement functions].

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for AC-16(7). This section is architected to display, per product: STIG ID, Finding ID, Severity, Title, Description, Check, Fix, CCI, and NIST control mapping — but nothing is populated here until a real DISA STIG/CCI dataset is ingested.

Learn more about STIG/CCI integration →

Evidence

Potential Evidence — Derived

Categorized from the SP 800-53A "Examine"/"Test" artifact list above by keyword — not an authoritative NIST evidence list.

Policy

  • Access control policies and procedures
  • system security plan
  • privacy access control policy

Configuration

  • system design documentation
  • system configuration settings and associated documentation

Testing

  • Mechanisms implementing access enforcement and information flow enforcement functions

Other Records

  • procedures addressing consistent interpretation of security and privacy attributes transmitted between distributed system components
  • procedures addressing access enforcement
  • procedures addressing information flow enforcement
  • system audit records
  • other relevant documents or records