PL-8 PL · Planning

Security and Privacy Architectures

LOW ✓ MODERATE ✓ HIGH
2 Enhancements 1 Overlay 13 Related Controls
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

    1. 1.Describe the requirements and approach to be taken for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational information;
    2. 2.Describe the requirements and approach to be taken for processing personally identifiable information to minimize privacy risk to individuals;
    3. 3.Describe how the architectures are integrated into and support the enterprise architecture; and
    4. 4.Describe any assumptions about, and dependencies on, external systems and services;
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

The security and privacy architectures at the system level are consistent with the organization-wide security and privacy architectures described in PM-7 , which are integral to and developed as part of the enterprise architecture. The architectures include an architectural description, the allocation of security and privacy functionality (including controls), security- and privacy-related information for external interfaces, information being exchanged across the interfaces, and the protection mechanisms associated with each interface. The architectures can also include other information, such as user roles and the access privileges assigned to each role; security and privacy requirements; types of information processed, stored, and transmitted by the system; supply chain risk management requirements; restoration priorities of information and system services; and other protection needs. SP 800-160-1 provides guidance on the use of security architectures as part of the system development life cycle process. OMB M-19-03 requires the use of the systems security engineering concepts described in SP 800-160-1 for high value assets. Security and privacy architectures are reviewed and updated throughout the system development life cycle, from analysis of alternatives through review of the proposed architecture in the RFP responses to the design reviews before and during implementation (e.g., during preliminary design reviews and critical design reviews). In today’s modern computing architectures, it is becoming less common for organizations to control all information resources. There may be key dependencies on external information services and service providers. Describing such dependencies in the security and privacy architectures is necessary for developing a comprehensive mission and business protection strategy. Establishing, developing, documenting, and maintaining under configuration control a baseline configuration for organizational systems is critical to implementing and maintaining effective architectures. The development of the architectures is coordinated with the senior agency information security officer and the senior agency official for privacy to ensure that the controls needed to support security and privacy requirements are identified and effectively implemented. In many circumstances, there may be no distinction between the security and privacy architecture for a system. In other circumstances, security objectives may be adequately satisfied, but privacy objectives may only be partially satisfied by the security requirements. In these cases, consideration of the privacy requirements needed to achieve satisfaction will result in a distinct privacy architecture. The documentation, however, may simply reflect the combined architectures. PL-8 is primarily directed at organizations to ensure that architectures are developed for the system and, moreover, that the architectures are integrated with or tightly coupled to the enterprise architecture. In contrast, SA-17 is primarily directed at the external information technology product and system developers and integrators. SA-17 , which is complementary to PL-8 , is selected when organizations outsource the development of systems or components to external entities and when there is a need to demonstrate consistency with the organization’s enterprise architecture and security and privacy architectures.

Enhancements NIST SOURCE

PL-8(1) Defense in Depth LOW MODERATE HIGH

Design the security and privacy architectures for the system using a defense-in-depth approach that:

  1. (a) Allocates [controls] to [locations and architectural layers] ; and
  2. (b) Ensures that the allocated controls operate in a coordinated and mutually reinforcing manner.
Discussion

Organizations strategically allocate security and privacy controls in the security and privacy architectures so that adversaries must overcome multiple controls to achieve their objective. Requiring adversaries to defeat multiple controls makes it more difficult to attack information resources by increasing the work factor of the adversary; it also increases the likelihood of detection. The coordination of allocated controls is essential to ensure that an attack that involves one control does not create adverse, unintended consequences by interfering with other controls. Unintended consequences can include system lockout and cascading alarms. The placement of controls in systems and organizations is an important activity that requires thoughtful analysis. The value of organizational assets is an important consideration in providing additional layering. Defense-in-depth architectural approaches include modularity and layering (see SA-8(3) ), separation of system and user functionality (see SC-2 ), and security function isolation (see SC-3).

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PL-8(2) Supplier Diversity LOW MODERATE HIGH

Require that [controls] allocated to [locations and architectural layers] are obtained from different suppliers.

Discussion

Information technology products have different strengths and weaknesses. Providing a broad spectrum of products complements the individual offerings. For example, vendors offering malicious code protection typically update their products at different times, often developing solutions for known viruses, Trojans, or worms based on their priorities and development schedules. By deploying different products at different locations, there is an increased likelihood that at least one of the products will detect the malicious code. With respect to privacy, vendors may offer products that track personally identifiable information in systems. Products may use different tracking methods. Using multiple products may result in more assurance that personally identifiable information is inventoried.

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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 PL-8 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. frequency for review and update to reflect changes in the enterprise architecture;
  2. a security architecture for the system describes the requirements and approach to be taken for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational information;
  3. a privacy architecture describes the requirements and approach to be taken for processing personally identifiable information to minimize privacy risk to individuals;
  4. a security architecture for the system describes how the architecture is integrated into and supports the enterprise architecture;
  5. a privacy architecture for the system describes how the architecture is integrated into and supports the enterprise architecture;
  6. a security architecture for the system describes any assumptions about and dependencies on external systems and services;
  7. a privacy architecture for the system describes any assumptions about and dependencies on external systems and services;
  8. changes in the enterprise architecture are reviewed and updated <PL-08_ODP frequency> to reflect changes in the enterprise architecture;
  9. planned architecture changes are reflected in the security plan;
  10. planned architecture changes are reflected in the privacy plan;
  11. planned architecture changes are reflected in the Concept of Operations (CONOPS);
  12. planned architecture changes are reflected in criticality analysis;
  13. planned architecture changes are reflected in organizational procedures;
  14. planned architecture changes are reflected in procurements and acquisitions.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: Security and privacy planning policy; procedures addressing information security and privacy architecture development; procedures addressing information security and privacy architecture reviews and updates; enterprise architecture documentation; information security and privacy architecture documentation; system security plan; privacy plan; security and privacy CONOPS for the system; records of information security and privacy architecture reviews and updates; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with security and privacy planning and plan implementation responsibilities; organizational personnel with information security and privacy architecture development responsibilities; organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for developing, reviewing, and updating the information security and privacy architecture; mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the development, review, and update of the information security and privacy architecture].

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

  • 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 PL-8. 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

  • Security and privacy planning policy
  • system security plan
  • privacy plan

Configuration

  • procedures addressing information security and privacy architecture development
  • procedures addressing information security and privacy architecture reviews and updates
  • enterprise architecture documentation
  • information security and privacy architecture documentation
  • records of information security and privacy architecture reviews and updates

Testing

  • Organizational processes for developing, reviewing, and updating the information security and privacy architecture
  • mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the development, review, and update of the information security and privacy architecture

Other Records

  • security and privacy CONOPS for the system
  • other relevant documents or records