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CM-6(2) CM · Configuration Management

Respond to Unauthorized Changes

LOW MODERATE ✓ HIGH
1 Overlay 3 Related Controls
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Take the following actions in response to unauthorized changes to [configuration settings]: [actions].

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

Responses to unauthorized changes to configuration settings include alerting designated organizational personnel, restoring established configuration settings, or—in extreme cases—halting affected system processing.

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-6(2) 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. actions to be taken upon an unauthorized change are defined;
  2. configuration settings requiring action upon an unauthorized change are defined;
  3. <CM-06(02)_ODP[01] actions> are taken in response to unauthorized changes to <CM-06(02)_ODP[02] configuration settings>.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: System security plan; privacy plan; configuration management policy; procedures addressing configuration settings for the system; configuration management plan; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; alerts/notifications of unauthorized changes to system configuration settings; system component inventory; documented responses to unauthorized changes to system configuration settings; change control records; system audit records; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with security configuration management responsibilities; organizational personnel with security and privacy responsibilities; system/network administrators].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Organizational process for responding to unauthorized changes to system configuration settings; mechanisms supporting and/or implementing actions in response to unauthorized changes].

Overlays

Showing the OT/ICS overlay for the parent control CM-6 — see the CM-6(2) 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)
  • Included: (1) (2)

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for CM-6(2). 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
  • procedures addressing configuration settings for the system
  • configuration management plan
  • system design documentation
  • system configuration settings and associated documentation
  • alerts/notifications of unauthorized changes to system configuration settings
  • system component inventory
  • documented responses to unauthorized changes to system configuration settings

Testing

  • Organizational process for responding to unauthorized changes to system configuration settings
  • mechanisms supporting and/or implementing actions in response to unauthorized changes

Other Records

  • change control records
  • system audit records
  • other relevant documents or records