NIST SP 800-53 AC-2(7) Privileged User Accounts

Requirements NIST SOURCE

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

Privileged roles are organization-defined roles assigned to individuals that allow those individuals to perform certain security-relevant functions that ordinary users are not authorized to perform. Privileged roles include key management, account management, database administration, system and network administration, and web administration. A role-based access scheme organizes permitted system access and privileges into roles. In contrast, an attribute-based access scheme specifies allowed system access and privileges based on attributes.

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(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

one of the following PARAMETER VALUES is selected: {a role-based access scheme; an attribute-based access scheme};
privileged user accounts are established and administered in accordance with <AC-02(07)_ODP SELECTED PARAMETER VALUE>;
privileged role or attribute assignments are monitored;
changes to roles or attributes are monitored;
access is revoked when privileged role or attribute assignments are no longer appropriate.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Access control policy; procedures addressing account management; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; system-generated list of privileged user accounts and associated roles; records of actions taken when privileged role assignments are no longer appropriate; system audit records; audit tracking and monitoring reports; system monitoring 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].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Mechanisms implementing account management functions; mechanisms monitoring privileged role assignments].

Overlays

Showing the OT/ICS overlay for the parent control AC-2 — see the AC-2(7) 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(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 policy
system security plan

Configuration

system design documentation
system configuration settings and associated documentation

Testing

Mechanisms implementing account management functions
mechanisms monitoring privileged role assignments

Other Records

procedures addressing account management
system-generated list of privileged user accounts and associated roles
records of actions taken when privileged role assignments are no longer appropriate
system audit records
audit tracking and monitoring reports
system monitoring records
other relevant documents or records