AC-6(5)_privileged-accounts

AC-6(5) Privileged Accounts

Enhancement of: AC-6

High-Level Description

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

Privileged accounts, including super user accounts, are typically described as system administrator for various types of commercial off-the-shelf operating systems. Restricting privileged accounts to specific personnel or roles prevents day-to-day users from accessing privileged information or privileged functions. Organizations may differentiate in the application of restricting privileged accounts between allowed privileges for local accounts and for domain accounts provided that they retain the ability to control system configurations for key parameters and as otherwise necessary to sufficiently mitigate risk.

What to Check

• Verify AC-6(5) Privileged Accounts is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AC-6(5)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AC-6

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AC-6(5) 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

Restrict privileged accounts on the system to [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Privileged accounts, including super user accounts, are typically described as system administrator for various types of commercial off-the-shelf operating systems. Restricting privileged accounts to specific personnel or roles prevents day-to-day users from accessing privileged information or privileged functions. Organizations may differentiate in the application of restricting privileged accounts between allowed privileges for local accounts and for domain accounts provided that they retain the ability to control system configurations for key parameters and as otherwise necessary to sufficiently mitigate risk.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - AC-6(5)
• 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 (IA-2, MA-3, MA-4) reviewed