Access Restrictions for Change
✓ LOW ✓ MODERATE ✓ HIGHRequirements NIST SOURCE
Define, document, approve, and enforce physical and logical access restrictions associated with changes to the system.
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)
Changes to the hardware, software, or firmware components of systems or the operational procedures related to the system can potentially have significant effects on the security of the systems or individuals’ privacy. Therefore, organizations permit only qualified and authorized individuals to access systems for purposes of initiating changes. Access restrictions include physical and logical access controls (see AC-3 and PE-3 ), software libraries, workflow automation, media libraries, abstract layers (i.e., changes implemented into external interfaces rather than directly into systems), and change windows (i.e., changes occur only during specified times).
Enhancements NIST SOURCE
CM-5(1) Automated Access Enforcement and Audit Records LOW MODERATE ✓ HIGH
- (a) Enforce access restrictions using [automated mechanisms] ; and
- (b) Automatically generate audit records of the enforcement actions.
Discussion
Organizations log system accesses associated with applying configuration changes to ensure that configuration change control is implemented and to support after-the-fact actions should organizations discover any unauthorized changes.
CM-5(2) Review System Changes WITHDRAWN
Withdrawn. Incorporated into CM-3(7).
CM-5(3) Signed Components WITHDRAWN
Withdrawn from the catalog.
CM-5(4) Dual Authorization LOW MODERATE HIGH
Enforce dual authorization for implementing changes to [organization-defined system components and system-level information].
Discussion
Organizations employ dual authorization to help ensure that any changes to selected system components and information cannot occur unless two qualified individuals approve and implement such changes. The two individuals possess the skills and expertise to determine if the proposed changes are correct implementations of approved changes. The individuals are also accountable for the changes. Dual authorization may also be known as two-person control. To reduce the risk of collusion, organizations consider rotating dual authorization duties to other individuals. System-level information includes operational procedures.
CM-5(5) Privilege Limitation for Production and Operation LOW MODERATE HIGH
- (a) Limit privileges to change system components and system-related information within a production or operational environment; and
- (b) Review and reevaluate privileges [organization-defined frequency].
Discussion
In many organizations, systems support multiple mission and business functions. Limiting privileges to change system components with respect to operational systems is necessary because changes to a system component may have far-reaching effects on mission and business processes supported by the system. The relationships between systems and mission/business processes are, in some cases, unknown to developers. System-related information includes operational procedures.
CM-5(6) Limit Library Privileges LOW MODERATE HIGH
Limit privileges to change software resident within software libraries.
Discussion
Software libraries include privileged programs.
CM-5(7) Automatic Implementation of Security Safeguards WITHDRAWN
Withdrawn. Incorporated into SI-7.
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-5 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
- physical access restrictions associated with changes to the system are defined and documented;
- physical access restrictions associated with changes to the system are approved;
- physical access restrictions associated with changes to the system are enforced;
- logical access restrictions associated with changes to the system are defined and documented;
- logical access restrictions associated with changes to the system are approved;
- logical access restrictions associated with changes to the system are enforced.
Examine
[SELECT FROM: Configuration management policy; procedures addressing access restrictions for changes to the system; configuration management plan; system design documentation; system architecture and configuration documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; logical access approvals; physical access approvals; access credentials; change control records; system audit records; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].
Interview
[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with logical access control responsibilities; organizational personnel with physical access control responsibilities; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; system/network administrators].
Test
[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for managing access restrictions to change; mechanisms supporting, implementing, or enforcing access restrictions associated with changes to the system].
Overlays
STIGs & CCIs
No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for CM-5. 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
- configuration management plan
- system design documentation
- system architecture and configuration documentation
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
Testing
- Organizational processes for managing access restrictions to change
- mechanisms supporting, implementing, or enforcing access restrictions associated with changes to the system
Other Records
- procedures addressing access restrictions for changes to the system
- logical access approvals
- physical access approvals
- access credentials
- change control records
- system audit records
- other relevant documents or records