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AC-2(3) AC · Access Control

Disable Accounts

LOW ✓ MODERATE ✓ HIGH
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Disable accounts within [time period] when the accounts:

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

Disabling expired, inactive, or otherwise anomalous accounts supports the concepts of least privilege and least functionality which reduce the attack surface of the system.

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-2(3) 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. time period within which to disable accounts is defined;
  2. time period for account inactivity before disabling is defined;
  3. accounts are disabled within <AC-02(03)_ODP[01] time period> when the accounts have expired;
  4. accounts are disabled within <AC-02(03)_ODP[01] time period> when the accounts are no longer associated with a user or individual;
  5. accounts are disabled within <AC-02(03)_ODP[01] time period> when the accounts are in violation of organizational policy;
  6. accounts are disabled within <AC-02(03)_ODP[01] time period> when the accounts have been inactive for <AC-02(03)_ODP[02] time period>.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Access control policy; procedures for addressing account management; system security plan; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; system-generated list of accounts removed; system-generated list of emergency accounts disabled; system audit records; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with account management responsibilities; system/network administrators; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; system developers].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Mechanisms for implementing account management functions].

Overlays

Showing the OT/ICS overlay for the parent control AC-2 — see the AC-2(3) entries within each baseline below.

OT/ICS Overlay SP 800-82r3

NIST SP 800-82r3 Appendix F, Table 22. Blank baseline means the control/control enhancement is not selected in that initial OT baseline.

LOW

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)

MODERATE

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)
  • Included: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (13)
  • Added: (11) (12)

HIGH

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)
  • Included: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (13)
  • Excluded: (11) (12)

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for AC-2(3). 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 policy
  • system security plan

Configuration

  • system design documentation
  • system configuration settings and associated documentation

Testing

  • Mechanisms for implementing account management functions

Other Records

  • procedures for addressing account management
  • system-generated list of accounts removed
  • system-generated list of emergency accounts disabled
  • system audit records
  • other relevant documents or records