AT-2(1)_practical-exercises

AT-2(1) Practical Exercises

Enhancement of: AT-2

High-Level Description

Family: Awareness and Training (AT) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Practical exercises include no-notice social engineering attempts to collect information, gain unauthorized access, or simulate the adverse impact of opening malicious email attachments or invoking, via spear phishing attacks, malicious web links.

What to Check

• Verify AT-2(1) Practical Exercises is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AT-2(1)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AT-2

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AT-2(1) 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

Provide practical exercises in literacy training that simulate events and incidents.

Implementation Guidance

Practical exercises include no-notice social engineering attempts to collect information, gain unauthorized access, or simulate the adverse impact of opening malicious email attachments or invoking, via spear phishing attacks, malicious web links.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - AT-2(1)
• 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 (CA-2, CA-7, CP-4, IR-3) reviewed