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SA-9(6) SA · System and Services Acquisition

Organization-controlled Cryptographic Keys

LOW MODERATE HIGH
1 Overlay 3 Related Controls
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Maintain exclusive control of cryptographic keys for encrypted material stored or transmitted through an external system.

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

Maintaining exclusive control of cryptographic keys in an external system prevents decryption of organizational data by external system staff. Organizational control of cryptographic keys can be implemented by encrypting and decrypting data inside the organization as data is sent to and received from the external system or by employing a component that permits encryption and decryption functions to be local to the external system but allows exclusive organizational access to the encryption keys.

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 SA-9(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. exclusive control of cryptographic keys is maintained for encrypted material stored or transmitted through an external system.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: System and services acquisition policy; procedures addressing external system services; acquisition contracts for the system, system component, or system service; solicitation documentation; acquisition documentation; service level agreements; procedures addressing organization-controlled cryptographic key management; organizational security requirements or conditions for external providers; system security plan; supply chain risk management plan; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with system and service acquisition responsibilities; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; organization personnel with cryptographic key management responsibilities; external providers of system services; organizational personnel with supply chain risk management responsibilities].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for cryptographic key management; mechanisms for supporting and implementing the management of organization-controlled cryptographic keys].

Overlays

Showing the OT/ICS overlay for the parent control SA-9 — see the SA-9(6) 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)
  • Included: (2)

HIGH

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)
  • Included: (2)

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for SA-9(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

  • System and services acquisition policy
  • system security plan
  • supply chain risk management plan

Testing

  • Organizational processes for cryptographic key management
  • mechanisms for supporting and implementing the management of organization-controlled cryptographic keys

Other Records

  • procedures addressing external system services
  • acquisition contracts for the system, system component, or system service
  • solicitation documentation
  • acquisition documentation
  • service level agreements
  • procedures addressing organization-controlled cryptographic key management
  • organizational security requirements or conditions for external providers
  • other relevant documents or records