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AC-3(15) AC · Access Control

Discretionary and Mandatory Access Control

LOW MODERATE HIGH
1 Overlay 3 Related Controls
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

Simultaneously implementing a mandatory access control policy and a discretionary access control policy can provide additional protection against the unauthorized execution of code by users or processes acting on behalf of users. This helps prevent a single compromised user or process from compromising the entire 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-3(15) 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 mandatory access control policy enforced over the set of covered subjects specified in the policy is defined;
  2. a mandatory access control policy enforced over the set of covered objects specified in the policy is defined;
  3. a discretionary access control policy enforced over the set of covered subjects specified in the policy is defined;
  4. a discretionary access control policy enforced over the set of covered objects specified in the policy is defined;
  5. <AC-03(15)_ODP[01] mandatory access control policy> is enforced over the set of covered subjects specified in the policy;
  6. <AC-03(15)_ODP[02] mandatory access control policy> is enforced over the set of covered objects specified in the policy;
  7. <AC-03(15)_ODP[03] discretionary access control policy> is enforced over the set of covered subjects specified in the policy;
  8. <AC-03(15)_ODP[04] discretionary access control policy> is enforced over the set of covered objects specified in the policy.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Access control policy; procedures addressing access enforcement; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; list of subjects and objects (i.e., users and resources) requiring enforcement of mandatory access control policies; list of subjects and objects (i.e., users and resources) requiring enforcement of discretionary access control policies; system audit records; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

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

Test

[SELECT FROM: Mechanisms implementing mandatory and discretionary access control policy].

Overlays

Showing the OT/ICS overlay for the parent control AC-3 — see the AC-3(15) 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)

HIGH

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)
  • Added: (11)

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for AC-3(15). 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
  • list of subjects and objects (i.e., users and resources) requiring enforcement of mandatory access control policies
  • list of subjects and objects (i.e., users and resources) requiring enforcement of discretionary access control policies
  • system security plan

Configuration

  • system design documentation
  • system configuration settings and associated documentation

Testing

  • Mechanisms implementing mandatory and discretionary access control policy

Other Records

  • procedures addressing access enforcement
  • system audit records
  • other relevant documents or records