CP-2(7)_coordinate-with-external-service-providers

CP-2(7) Coordinate with External Service Providers

Enhancement of: CP-2

High-Level Description

Family: Contingency Planning (CP) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

When the capability of an organization to carry out its mission and business functions is dependent on external service providers, developing a comprehensive and timely contingency plan may become more challenging. When mission and business functions are dependent on external service providers, organizations coordinate contingency planning activities with the external entities to ensure that the individual plans reflect the overall contingency needs of the organization.

What to Check

• Verify CP-2(7) Coordinate with External Service Providers is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for CP-2(7)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control CP-2

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for CP-2(7) 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

Coordinate the contingency plan with the contingency plans of external service providers to ensure that contingency requirements can be satisfied.

Implementation Guidance

When the capability of an organization to carry out its mission and business functions is dependent on external service providers, developing a comprehensive and timely contingency plan may become more challenging. When mission and business functions are dependent on external service providers, organizations coordinate contingency planning activities with the external entities to ensure that the individual plans reflect the overall contingency needs of the organization.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - CP-2(7)
• 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 (SA-9) reviewed