NIST Special Publication 800-171 Revision 2
Date Published: January 28th, 2021
Withdrawn on May 14, 2024. Superseded by SP 800-171 Rev. 3
Author(s): Ron Ross (NIST), Victoria Pillitteri (NIST), Kelley Dempsey (NIST), Mark Riddle (NARA), Gary Guissanie (IDA)
Note: A Class Deviation is in effect as of May 2, 2024 (DEVIATION 2024O0013). The deviation clause requires contractors, who are subject to 252.204-7012, to comply with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171 Revision 2, instead of the version of NIST SP 800-171 in effect at the time the solicitation is issued or as authorized by the contracting officer. Click Here
3.4.4 Analyze the security impact of changes prior to implementation.
Control Family: Configuration Management
Control Type: Derived
SPRS Value: 1
SPRS Supplemental Guidance: N/A
CMMC Level(s): CM.L2-3.4.4
Top Ten Failed Requirement: No
Referenced in:
DFARS 252.204-7012
Derived From: NIST SP 800-53r4
CM-4
NIST Supplemental Guidance:
[SP 800-128]
Discussion:
Organizational personnel with information security responsibilities (e.g., system administrators, system security officers, system security managers, and systems security engineers) conduct security impact analyses. Individuals conducting security impact analyses possess the necessary skills and technical expertise to analyze the changes to systems and the associated security ramifications. Security impact analysis may include reviewing security plans to understand security requirements and reviewing system design documentation to understand the implementation of controls and how specific changes might affect the controls. Security impact analyses may also include risk assessments to better understand the impact of the changes and to determine if additional controls are required.
This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-171r2
[SP 800-128] provides guidance on configuration change control and security impact analysis.
Upon assessment, assessors must determine if-
…the security impact of changes to the system is analyzed prior to
implementation.
Assessors are instructed to-
Examine: [SELECT FROM: Configuration management policy; procedures addressing security impact analysis for system changes; configuration management plan; security impact analysis documentation; system security plan; analysis tools and associated outputs; change control records; system audit logs and records; other relevant documents or records].
Interview: [SELECT FROM: Personnel with responsibility for conducting security impact analysis; personnel with information security responsibilities; system or network administrators].
Test: [SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for security impact analysis].
FURTHER DISCUSSION
Changes to complex environments are reviewed for potential security impact before implemented. Changes to IT systems can cause unforeseen problems and have unintended consequences for both users and the security of the operating environment. Analyze the security impact of changes prior to implementing them. This can uncover and mitigate potential problems before they occur.
Example
You have been asked to deploy a new web browser plug-in. Your standard change management process requires that you produce a detailed plan for the change, including a review of its potential security impact. A subject-matter expert who did not submit the change reviews the plan and tests the new plug-in for functionality and security. You update the change plan based on the expert’s findings and submit it to the change control board for final approval [a].
Potential Assessment Considerations
Are configuration changes tested, validated, and documented before installing them on the operational system [a]?