AU-12(3)_changes-by-authorized-individuals

AU-12(3) Changes by Authorized Individuals

Enhancement of: AU-12

High-Level Description

Family: Audit and Accountability (AU) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Permitting authorized individuals to make changes to system logging enables organizations to extend or limit logging as necessary to meet organizational requirements. Logging that is limited to conserve system resources may be extended (either temporarily or permanently) to address certain threat situations. In addition, logging may be limited to a specific set of event types to facilitate audit reduction, analysis, and reporting. Organizations can establish time thresholds in which logging actions are changed (e.g., near real-time, within minutes, or within hours).

What to Check

• Verify AU-12(3) Changes by Authorized Individuals is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AU-12(3)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AU-12

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AU-12(3) 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 and implement the capability for [organization-defined] to change the logging to be performed on [organization-defined] based on [organization-defined] within [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Permitting authorized individuals to make changes to system logging enables organizations to extend or limit logging as necessary to meet organizational requirements. Logging that is limited to conserve system resources may be extended (either temporarily or permanently) to address certain threat situations. In addition, logging may be limited to a specific set of event types to facilitate audit reduction, analysis, and reporting. Organizations can establish time thresholds in which logging actions are changed (e.g., near real-time, within minutes, or within hours).

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - AU-12(3)
• 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 (AC-3) reviewed