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CM-4(1) CM · Configuration Management

Separate Test Environments

LOW MODERATE ✓ HIGH
1 Overlay 2 Related Controls
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Analyze changes to the system in a separate test environment before implementation in an operational environment, looking for security and privacy impacts due to flaws, weaknesses, incompatibility, or intentional malice.

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

A separate test environment requires an environment that is physically or logically separate and distinct from the operational environment. The separation is sufficient to ensure that activities in the test environment do not impact activities in the operational environment and that information in the operational environment is not inadvertently transmitted to the test environment. Separate environments can be achieved by physical or logical means. If physically separate test environments are not implemented, organizations determine the strength of mechanism required when implementing logical separation.

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 CM-4(1) 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. changes to the system are analyzed in a separate test environment before implementation in an operational environment;
  2. changes to the system are analyzed for security impacts due to flaws;
  3. changes to the system are analyzed for privacy impacts due to flaws;
  4. changes to the system are analyzed for security impacts due to weaknesses;
  5. changes to the system are analyzed for privacy impacts due to weaknesses;
  6. changes to the system are analyzed for security impacts due to incompatibility;
  7. changes to the system are analyzed for privacy impacts due to incompatibility;
  8. changes to the system are analyzed for security impacts due to intentional malice;
  9. changes to the system are analyzed for privacy impacts due to intentional malice.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Configuration management policy; procedures addressing security impact analyses for changes to the system; procedures addressing privacy impact analyses for changes to the system; configuration management plan; security impact analysis documentation; privacy impact analysis documentation; privacy impact assessment; privacy risk assessment documentation; analysis tools and associated outputs system design documentation; system architecture and configuration documentation; change control records; procedures addressing the authority to test with PII; system audit records; documentation of separate test and operational environments; system security plan; privacy plan; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with responsibility for conducting security and privacy impact analyses; organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities; system/network administrators; members of change control board or similar].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for security and privacy impact analyses; mechanisms supporting and/or implementing security and privacy impact analyses of changes].

Overlays

Showing the OT/ICS overlay for the parent control CM-4 — see the CM-4(1) 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: (2)

HIGH

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)
  • Included: (1) (2)

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for CM-4(1). 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

  • system security plan
  • privacy plan

Configuration

  • Configuration management policy
  • configuration management plan
  • analysis tools and associated outputs system design documentation
  • system architecture and configuration documentation

Testing

  • Organizational processes for security and privacy impact analyses
  • mechanisms supporting and/or implementing security and privacy impact analyses of changes

Other Records

  • procedures addressing security impact analyses for changes to the system
  • procedures addressing privacy impact analyses for changes to the system
  • security impact analysis documentation
  • privacy impact analysis documentation
  • privacy impact assessment
  • privacy risk assessment documentation
  • change control records
  • procedures addressing the authority to test with PII
  • system audit records
  • documentation of separate test and operational environments
  • other relevant documents or records