NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 · AC-1

Policy and Procedures

US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) · cited in 5 of our lessons

Explanation

What it asks for. The organisation must develop, document and disseminate an access control policy and procedures, designate an official to manage them, and review and update them at defined frequencies and after relevant events.

In practice. Doing this well means a concise policy setting principles such as least privilege, need to know and separation of duties, with procedures for granting, reviewing and removing access. A named owner keeps it current. Auditors expect the approved policy, evidence of communication and review records. ISO/IEC 27001 access control policy requirements are equivalent.

Common gaps. Policies often describe a target state that procedures and systems do not match. Reviews are skipped or done without real changes after major technology shifts such as cloud adoption.

The official text
a. Develop, document, and disseminate to [Assignment: organization-defined organization-defined personnel or roles]: 1. [Selection: organization-level; mission/business process-level; system-level] access control policy that: (a) Addresses purpose, scope, roles, responsibilities, management commitment, coordination among organizational entities, and compliance; and (b) Is consistent with applicable laws, executive orders, directives, regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines; and 2. Procedures to facilitate the implementation of the access control policy and the associated access controls; b. Designate an [Assignment: organization-defined official] to manage the development, documentation, and dissemination of the access control policy and procedures; and c. Review and update the current access control: 1. Policy [Assignment: organization-defined frequency] and following [Assignment: organization-defined events] ; and 2. Procedures [Assignment: organization-defined frequency] and following [Assignment: organization-defined events]. Discussion: Access control policy and procedures address the controls in the AC family that are implemented within systems and organizations. The risk management strategy is an important factor in establishing such policies and procedures. Policies and procedures contribute to security and privacy assurance. Therefore, it is important that security and privacy programs collaborate on the development of access control policy and procedures. Security and privacy program policies and procedures at the organization level are preferable, in general, and may obviate the need for mission- or system-specific policies and procedures. The policy can be included as part of the general security and privacy policy or be represented by multiple policies reflecting the complex nature of organizations. Procedures can be established for security and privacy programs, for mission or business processes, and for systems, if needed. Procedures describe how the policies or controls are implemented and can be directed at the individual or role that is the object of the procedure. Procedures can be documented in system security and privacy plans or in one or more separate documents. Events that may precipitate an update to access control policy and procedures include assessment or audit findings, security incidents or breaches, or changes in laws, executive orders, directives, regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines. Simply restating controls does not constitute an organizational policy or procedure.

From NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, a work of the US government in the public domain.

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