Isolation of System Components
LOW MODERATE ✓ HIGHRequirements NIST SOURCE
Employ boundary protection mechanisms to isolate [system components] supporting [missions and/or business functions].
Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)
Organizations can isolate system components that perform different mission or business functions. Such isolation limits unauthorized information flows among system components and provides the opportunity to deploy greater levels of protection for selected system components. Isolating system components with boundary protection mechanisms provides the capability for increased protection of individual system components and to more effectively control information flows between those components. Isolating system components provides enhanced protection that limits the potential harm from hostile cyber-attacks and errors. The degree of isolation varies depending upon the mechanisms chosen. Boundary protection mechanisms include routers, gateways, and firewalls that separate system components into physically separate networks or subnetworks; cross-domain devices that separate subnetworks; virtualization techniques; and the encryption of information flows among system components using distinct encryption keys.
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-7(21) 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 to be isolated by boundary protection mechanisms are defined;
- missions and/or business functions to be supported by system components isolated by boundary protection mechanisms are defined;
- boundary protection mechanisms are employed to isolate <SC-07(21)_ODP[01] system components> supporting <SC-07(21)_ODP[02] missions and/or business functions>.
Examine
[SELECT FROM: System and communications protection policy; procedures addressing boundary protection; system design documentation; system hardware and software; enterprise architecture documentation; system architecture; system configuration settings and associated documentation; system audit records; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].
Interview
[SELECT FROM: System/network administrators; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; organizational personnel with boundary protection responsibilities].
Test
[SELECT FROM: Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the capability to separate system components supporting organizational missions and/or business functions].
Overlays
STIGs & CCIs
No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for SC-7(21). 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
- enterprise architecture documentation
- system architecture
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
Testing
- Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the capability to separate system components supporting organizational missions and/or business functions
Other Records
- procedures addressing boundary protection
- system hardware and software
- system audit records
- other relevant documents or records