Cross-organizational Audit Logging
LOW MODERATE HIGHRequirements NIST SOURCE
Employ [methods] for coordinating [audit information] among external organizations when audit information is transmitted across organizational boundaries.
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)
When organizations use systems or services of external organizations, the audit logging capability necessitates a coordinated, cross-organization approach. For example, maintaining the identity of individuals who request specific services across organizational boundaries may often be difficult, and doing so may prove to have significant performance and privacy ramifications. Therefore, it is often the case that cross-organizational audit logging simply captures the identity of individuals who issue requests at the initial system, and subsequent systems record that the requests originated from authorized individuals. Organizations consider including processes for coordinating audit information requirements and protection of audit information in information exchange agreements.
Enhancements NIST SOURCE
AU-16(1) Identity Preservation LOW MODERATE HIGH
Preserve the identity of individuals in cross-organizational audit trails.
Discussion
Identity preservation is applied when there is a need to be able to trace actions that are performed across organizational boundaries to a specific individual.
AU-16(2) Sharing of Audit Information LOW MODERATE HIGH
Provide cross-organizational audit information to [organizations] based on [cross-organizational sharing agreements].
Discussion
Due to the distributed nature of the audit information, cross-organization sharing of audit information may be essential for effective analysis of the auditing being performed. For example, the audit records of one organization may not provide sufficient information to determine the appropriate or inappropriate use of organizational information resources by individuals in other organizations. In some instances, only individuals’ home organizations have the appropriate knowledge to make such determinations, thus requiring the sharing of audit information among organizations.
AU-16(3) Disassociability LOW MODERATE HIGH
Implement [measures] to disassociate individuals from audit information transmitted across organizational boundaries.
Discussion
Preserving identities in audit trails could have privacy ramifications, such as enabling the tracking and profiling of individuals, but may not be operationally necessary. These risks could be further amplified when transmitting information across organizational boundaries. Implementing privacy-enhancing cryptographic techniques can disassociate individuals from audit information and reduce privacy risk while maintaining accountability.
Implementation Guidance
Original engineering commentary written for this explorer — not NIST source text and not authoritative guidance.
No engineering interpretation has been authored for AU-16 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
Assessment Objectives
- methods for coordinating audit information among external organizations when audit information is transmitted across organizational boundaries are defined;
- audit information to be coordinated among external organizations when audit information is transmitted across organizational boundaries is defined;
- <AU-16_ODP[01] methods> for coordinating <AU-16_ODP[02] audit information> among external organizations when audit information is transmitted across organizational boundaries are employed.
Examine
[SELECT FROM: Audit and accountability policy; system security plan; privacy plan; procedures addressing methods for coordinating audit information among external organizations; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; system audit records; other relevant documents or records].
Interview
[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with responsibilities for coordinating audit information among external organizations; organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities].
Test
[SELECT FROM: Mechanisms implementing cross-organizational auditing].
STIGs & CCIs
No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for AU-16. 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
Categorized from the SP 800-53A "Examine"/"Test" artifact list above by keyword — not an authoritative NIST evidence list.
Policy
- Audit and accountability policy
- system security plan
- privacy plan
Configuration
- system design documentation
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
Testing
- Mechanisms implementing cross-organizational auditing
Other Records
- procedures addressing methods for coordinating audit information among external organizations
- system audit records
- other relevant documents or records