Heterogeneity
LOW MODERATE HIGHRequirements NIST SOURCE
Employ a diverse set of information technologies for the following system components in the implementation of the system: [system components].
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)
Increasing the diversity of information technologies within organizational systems reduces the impact of potential exploitations or compromises of specific technologies. Such diversity protects against common mode failures, including those failures induced by supply chain attacks. Diversity in information technologies also reduces the likelihood that the means adversaries use to compromise one system component will be effective against other system components, thus further increasing the adversary work factor to successfully complete planned attacks. An increase in diversity may add complexity and management overhead that could ultimately lead to mistakes and unauthorized configurations.
Enhancements NIST SOURCE
SC-29(1) Virtualization Techniques LOW MODERATE HIGH
Employ virtualization techniques to support the deployment of a diversity of operating systems and applications that are changed [frequency].
Discussion
While frequent changes to operating systems and applications can pose significant configuration management challenges, the changes can result in an increased work factor for adversaries to conduct successful attacks. Changing virtual operating systems or applications, as opposed to changing actual operating systems or applications, provides virtual changes that impede attacker success while reducing configuration management efforts. Virtualization techniques can assist in isolating untrustworthy software or software of dubious provenance into confined execution environments.
Implementation Guidance
Original engineering commentary written for this explorer — not NIST source text and not authoritative guidance.
No engineering interpretation has been authored for SC-29 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
- system components requiring a diverse set of information technologies to be employed in the implementation of the system are defined;
- a diverse set of information technologies is employed for <SC-29_ODP system components> in the implementation of the system.
Examine
[SELECT FROM: System and communications protection policy; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; list of technologies deployed in the system; acquisition documentation; acquisition contracts for system components or services; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].
Interview
[SELECT FROM: System/network administrators; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; organizational personnel with system acquisition, development, and implementation responsibilities].
Test
[SELECT FROM: Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the employment of a diverse set of information technologies].
STIGs & CCIs
No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for SC-29. 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
- System and communications protection policy
- system security plan
Configuration
- system design documentation
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
Testing
- Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the employment of a diverse set of information technologies
Other Records
- list of technologies deployed in the system
- acquisition documentation
- acquisition contracts for system components or services
- other relevant documents or records