IA-6 IA · Identification and Authentication

Authentication Feedback

✓ LOW ✓ MODERATE ✓ HIGH
1 Overlay 1 Related Control
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Obscure feedback of authentication information during the authentication process to protect the information from possible exploitation and use by unauthorized individuals.

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

Authentication feedback from systems does not provide information that would allow unauthorized individuals to compromise authentication mechanisms. For some types of systems, such as desktops or notebooks with relatively large monitors, the threat (referred to as shoulder surfing) may be significant. For other types of systems, such as mobile devices with small displays, the threat may be less significant and is balanced against the increased likelihood of typographic input errors due to small keyboards. Thus, the means for obscuring authentication feedback is selected accordingly. Obscuring authentication feedback includes displaying asterisks when users type passwords into input devices or displaying feedback for a very limited time before obscuring it.

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 IA-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

NIST SP 800-53A REV 5.2.0

Assessment Objectives

  1. the feedback of authentication information is obscured during the authentication process to protect the information from possible exploitation and use by unauthorized individuals.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Identification and authentication policy; system security plan; procedures addressing authenticator feedback; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; system audit records; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; system/network administrators; system developers].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the obscuring of feedback of authentication information during authentication].

Overlays

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)

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for IA-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

Potential Evidence — Derived

Categorized from the SP 800-53A "Examine"/"Test" artifact list above by keyword — not an authoritative NIST evidence list.

Policy

  • Identification and authentication policy
  • system security plan

Configuration

  • system design documentation
  • system configuration settings and associated documentation

Testing

  • Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the obscuring of feedback of authentication information during authentication

Other Records

  • procedures addressing authenticator feedback
  • system audit records
  • other relevant documents or records