Operations Security
LOW MODERATE HIGHRequirements NIST SOURCE
Employ the following operations security controls to protect key organizational information throughout the system development life cycle: [operations security controls].
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)
Operations security (OPSEC) is a systematic process by which potential adversaries can be denied information about the capabilities and intentions of organizations by identifying, controlling, and protecting generally unclassified information that specifically relates to the planning and execution of sensitive organizational activities. The OPSEC process involves five steps: identification of critical information, analysis of threats, analysis of vulnerabilities, assessment of risks, and the application of appropriate countermeasures. OPSEC controls are applied to organizational systems and the environments in which those systems operate. OPSEC controls protect the confidentiality of information, including limiting the sharing of information with suppliers, potential suppliers, and other non-organizational elements and individuals. Information critical to organizational mission and business functions includes user identities, element uses, suppliers, supply chain processes, functional requirements, security requirements, system design specifications, testing and evaluation protocols, and security control implementation details.
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-38 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
- operations security controls to be employed to protect key organizational information throughout the system development life cycle are defined;
- <SC-38_ODP operations security controls> are employed to protect key organizational information throughout the system development life cycle.
Examine
[SELECT FROM: System and communications protection policy; procedures addressing operations security; security plan; list of operations security safeguards; security control assessments; risk assessments; threat and vulnerability assessments; plans of action and milestones; system development life cycle documentation; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].
Interview
[SELECT FROM: System/network administrators; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; organizational personnel installing, configuring, and/or maintaining the system; system developers/integrators].
Test
[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for protecting organizational information throughout the system development life cycle; mechanisms supporting and/or implementing safeguards to protect organizational information throughout the system development life cycle].
STIGs & CCIs
No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for SC-38. 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
- security plan
- system security plan
Testing
- Organizational processes for protecting organizational information throughout the system development life cycle
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing safeguards to protect organizational information throughout the system development life cycle
Other Records
- procedures addressing operations security
- list of operations security safeguards
- security control assessments
- risk assessments
- threat and vulnerability assessments
- plans of action and milestones
- system development life cycle documentation
- other relevant documents or records