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MA-4(4) MA · Maintenance

Authentication and Separation of Maintenance Sessions

LOW MODERATE HIGH
1 Overlay 0 Related Controls
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Protect nonlocal maintenance sessions by:

    1. (1)Physically separated communications paths; or
    2. (2)Logically separated communications paths.
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

Communications paths can be logically separated using encryption.

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 MA-4(4) 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. authenticators that are replay resistant are defined;
  2. nonlocal maintenance sessions are protected by employing <MA-04(04)_ODP authenticators that are replay resistant>;
  3. nonlocal maintenance sessions are protected by separating maintenance sessions from other network sessions with the system by physically separated communication paths; or
  4. nonlocal maintenance sessions are protected by logically separated communication paths.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Maintenance policy; procedures addressing nonlocal system maintenance; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; maintenance records; audit records; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

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

Test

[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for protecting nonlocal maintenance sessions; mechanisms implementing replay-resistant authenticators; mechanisms implementing logically separated/encrypted communication paths].

Overlays

Showing the OT/ICS overlay for the parent control MA-4 — see the MA-4(4) 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)
  • Added: (1)

HIGH

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)
  • Included: (3)
  • Added: (1)

STIGs & CCIs

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

  • Maintenance policy
  • system security plan

Configuration

  • system design documentation
  • system configuration settings and associated documentation

Testing

  • Organizational processes for protecting nonlocal maintenance sessions
  • mechanisms implementing replay-resistant authenticators
  • mechanisms implementing logically separated/encrypted communication paths

Other Records

  • procedures addressing nonlocal system maintenance
  • maintenance records
  • audit records
  • other relevant documents or records