Development and Test Environments
LOW MODERATE HIGHRequirements NIST SOURCE
Maintain a baseline configuration for system development and test environments that is managed separately from the operational baseline configuration.
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)
Establishing separate baseline configurations for development, testing, and operational environments protects systems from unplanned or unexpected events related to development and testing activities. Separate baseline configurations allow organizations to apply the configuration management that is most appropriate for each type of configuration. For example, the management of operational configurations typically emphasizes the need for stability, while the management of development or test configurations requires greater flexibility. Configurations in the test environment mirror configurations in the operational environment to the extent practicable so that the results of the testing are representative of the proposed changes to the operational systems. Separate baseline configurations do not necessarily require separate physical environments.
Implementation Guidance
Original engineering commentary written for this explorer — not NIST source text and not authoritative guidance.
No engineering interpretation has been authored for CM-2(6) 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
- a baseline configuration for system development environments that is managed separately from the operational baseline configuration is maintained;
- a baseline configuration for test environments that is managed separately from the operational baseline configuration is maintained.
Examine
[SELECT FROM: Configuration management policy; procedures addressing the baseline configuration of the system; configuration management plan; system design documentation; system architecture and configuration documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].
Interview
[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with configuration management responsibilities; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; system/network administrators].
Test
[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for managing baseline configurations; mechanisms implementing separate baseline configurations for development, test, and operational environments].
Overlays
STIGs & CCIs
No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for CM-2(6). 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
- system security plan
Configuration
- Configuration management policy
- procedures addressing the baseline configuration of the system
- configuration management plan
- system design documentation
- system architecture and configuration documentation
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
Testing
- Organizational processes for managing baseline configurations
- mechanisms implementing separate baseline configurations for development, test, and operational environments
Other Records
- other relevant documents or records