CM-7(6)_confined-environments-with-limited-privileges

CM-7(6) Confined Environments with Limited Privileges

Enhancement of: CM-7

High-Level Description

Family: Configuration Management (CM) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Organizations identify software that may be of concern regarding its origin or potential for containing malicious code. For this type of software, user installations occur in confined environments of operation to limit or contain damage from malicious code that may be executed.

What to Check

• Verify CM-7(6) Confined Environments with Limited Privileges is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for CM-7(6)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control CM-7

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for CM-7(6) 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

Require that the following user-installed software execute in a confined physical or virtual machine environment with limited privileges: [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Organizations identify software that may be of concern regarding its origin or potential for containing malicious code. For this type of software, user installations occur in confined environments of operation to limit or contain damage from malicious code that may be executed.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - CM-7(6)
• 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 (CM-11, SC-44) reviewed