PE-18 PE · Physical and Environmental Protection

Location of System Components

LOW MODERATE ✓ HIGH
1 Overlay 5 Related Controls
Graph
Export ▾

Requirements NIST SOURCE

Position system components within the facility to minimize potential damage from [physical and environmental hazards] and to minimize the opportunity for unauthorized access.

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

Physical and environmental hazards include floods, fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, terrorism, vandalism, an electromagnetic pulse, electrical interference, and other forms of incoming electromagnetic radiation. Organizations consider the location of entry points where unauthorized individuals, while not being granted access, might nonetheless be near systems. Such proximity can increase the risk of unauthorized access to organizational communications using wireless packet sniffers or microphones, or unauthorized disclosure of information.

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 PE-18 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. physical and environmental hazards that could result in potential damage to system components within the facility are defined;
  2. system components are positioned within the facility to minimize potential damage from <PE-18_ODP physical and environmental hazards> and to minimize the opportunity for unauthorized access.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Physical and environmental protection policy; procedures addressing the positioning of system components; documentation providing the location and position of system components within the facility; locations housing system components within the facility; list of physical and environmental hazards with the potential to damage system components within the facility; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with responsibilities for positioning system components; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for positioning system components].

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

Not applicable at this tier.

MODERATE

Not applicable at this tier.

HIGH

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for PE-18. 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

  • Physical and environmental protection policy
  • system security plan

Testing

  • Organizational processes for positioning system components

Other Records

  • procedures addressing the positioning of system components
  • documentation providing the location and position of system components within the facility
  • locations housing system components within the facility
  • list of physical and environmental hazards with the potential to damage system components within the facility
  • other relevant documents or records