AC-24(2)_no-user-or-process-identity

AC-24(2) No User or Process Identity

Enhancement of: AC-24

High-Level Description

Family: Access Control (AC) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

In certain situations, it is important that access control decisions can be made without information regarding the identity of the users issuing the requests. These are generally instances where preserving individual privacy is of paramount importance. In other situations, user identification information is simply not needed for access control decisions, and especially in the case of distributed systems, transmitting such information with the needed degree of assurance may be very expensive or difficult to accomplish. MAC, RBAC, ABAC, and label-based control policies, for example, might not include user identity as an attribute.

What to Check

• Verify AC-24(2) No User or Process Identity is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AC-24(2)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AC-24

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AC-24(2) implementation details. Verify the organization has documented how this control is satisfied.

Step 2: Validate Implementation

# For cloud environments, use cloud-audit-mcp tools
# For on-premises, review system configurations directly

# Example: Check if account management policies exist
grep -r "account.management\|access.control" /etc/security/ 2>/dev/null

Step 3: Test Operating Effectiveness

Verify the control is actively functioning, not just documented. Check logs, configurations, and operational evidence.

Tools

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Enforce access control decisions based on [organization-defined] that do not include the identity of the user or process acting on behalf of the user.

Implementation Guidance

In certain situations, it is important that access control decisions can be made without information regarding the identity of the users issuing the requests. These are generally instances where preserving individual privacy is of paramount importance. In other situations, user identification information is simply not needed for access control decisions, and especially in the case of distributed systems, transmitting such information with the needed degree of assurance may be very expensive or difficult to accomplish. MAC, RBAC, ABAC, and label-based control policies, for example, might not include user identity as an attribute.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - AC-24(2)
• NIST SP 800-53A Rev 5 (Assessment Procedures)
• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Full Catalog

Checklist

• Control documented in SSP
• Implementation evidence collected
• Operating effectiveness validated
• Continuous monitoring in place
• Related controls (none) reviewed