Comparable Security and Sanitization
LOW MODERATE ✓ HIGHRequirements NIST SOURCE
Requirement Context
This element is part of MA-4(3) — Comparable Security and Sanitization. See the Assessment section below for the related SP 800-53A examine/interview/test procedures. No engineering interpretation has been authored for this control yet.
Requirement Context
This element is part of MA-4(3) — Comparable Security and Sanitization. See the Assessment section below for the related SP 800-53A examine/interview/test procedures. No engineering interpretation has been authored for this control yet.
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)
Comparable security capability on systems, diagnostic tools, and equipment providing maintenance services implies that the implemented controls on those systems, tools, and equipment are at least as comprehensive as the controls on the system being serviced.
Implementation Guidance
Original engineering commentary written for this explorer — not NIST source text and not authoritative guidance.
No engineering interpretation has been authored for MA-4(3) 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
- nonlocal maintenance services are required to be performed from a system that implements a security capability comparable to the capability implemented on the system being serviced;
- nonlocal diagnostic services are required to be performed from a system that implements a security capability comparable to the capability implemented on the system being serviced; or
- the component to be serviced is removed from the system prior to nonlocal maintenance or diagnostic services;
- the component to be serviced is sanitized (for organizational information);
- the component is inspected and sanitized (for potentially malicious software) after the service is performed and before reconnecting the component to the system.
Examine
[SELECT FROM: Maintenance policy; procedures addressing nonlocal system maintenance; service provider contracts and/or service-level agreements; maintenance records; inspection records; audit records; equipment sanitization records; media sanitization records; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].
Interview
[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with system maintenance responsibilities; system maintenance provider; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; organizational personnel responsible for media sanitization; system/network administrators].
Test
[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for comparable security and sanitization for nonlocal maintenance; organizational processes for the removal, sanitization, and inspection of components serviced via nonlocal maintenance; mechanisms supporting and/or implementing component sanitization and inspection].
Overlays
STIGs & CCIs
No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for MA-4(3). 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
- Maintenance policy
- system security plan
Testing
- Organizational processes for comparable security and sanitization for nonlocal maintenance
- organizational processes for the removal, sanitization, and inspection of components serviced via nonlocal maintenance
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing component sanitization and inspection
Other Records
- procedures addressing nonlocal system maintenance
- service provider contracts and/or service-level agreements
- maintenance records
- inspection records
- audit records
- equipment sanitization records
- media sanitization records
- other relevant documents or records