CM-9(1)_assignment-of-responsibility

CM-9(1) Assignment of Responsibility

Enhancement of: CM-9

High-Level Description

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

In the absence of dedicated configuration management teams assigned within organizations, system developers may be tasked with developing configuration management processes using personnel who are not directly involved in system development or system integration. This separation of duties ensures that organizations establish and maintain a sufficient degree of independence between the system development and integration processes and configuration management processes to facilitate quality control and more effective oversight.

What to Check

• Verify CM-9(1) Assignment of Responsibility is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for CM-9(1)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control CM-9

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for CM-9(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

Assign responsibility for developing the configuration management process to organizational personnel that are not directly involved in system development.

Implementation Guidance

In the absence of dedicated configuration management teams assigned within organizations, system developers may be tasked with developing configuration management processes using personnel who are not directly involved in system development or system integration. This separation of duties ensures that organizations establish and maintain a sufficient degree of independence between the system development and integration processes and configuration management processes to facilitate quality control and more effective oversight.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - CM-9(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 (none) reviewed