AU-13_monitoring-for-information-disclosure

AU-13 Monitoring for Information Disclosure

High-Level Description

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

Unauthorized disclosure of information is a form of data leakage. Open-source information includes social networking sites and code-sharing platforms and repositories. Examples of organizational information include personally identifiable information retained by the organization or proprietary information generated by the organization.

What to Check

• Verify AU-13 Monitoring for Information Disclosure is documented in SSP
• Validate all 3 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AU-13

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AU-13 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

Monitor [organization-defined] [organization-defined] for evidence of unauthorized disclosure of organizational information; and If an information disclosure is discovered: Notify [organization-defined] ; and Take the following additional actions: [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Unauthorized disclosure of information is a form of data leakage. Open-source information includes social networking sites and code-sharing platforms and repositories. Examples of organizational information include personally identifiable information retained by the organization or proprietary information generated by the organization.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - AU-13
• 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-22, PE-3, PM-12, RA-5, SC-7) reviewed