IA-12(5)_address-confirmation

IA-12(5) Address Confirmation

Enhancement of: IA-12

High-Level Description

Family: Identification and Authentication (IA) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

To make it more difficult for adversaries to pose as legitimate users during the identity proofing process, organizations can use out-of-band methods to ensure that the individual associated with an address of record is the same individual that participated in the registration. Confirmation can take the form of a temporary enrollment code or a notice of proofing. The delivery address for these artifacts is obtained from records and not self-asserted by the user. The address can include a physical or digital address. A home address is an example of a physical address. Email addresses and telephone numbers are examples of digital addresses.

What to Check

• Verify IA-12(5) Address Confirmation is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for IA-12(5)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control IA-12

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for IA-12(5) 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 a [organization-defined] be delivered through an out-of-band channel to verify the users address (physical or digital) of record.

Implementation Guidance

To make it more difficult for adversaries to pose as legitimate users during the identity proofing process, organizations can use out-of-band methods to ensure that the individual associated with an address of record is the same individual that participated in the registration. Confirmation can take the form of a temporary enrollment code or a notice of proofing. The delivery address for these artifacts is obtained from records and not self-asserted by the user. The address can include a physical or digital address. A home address is an example of a physical address. Email addresses and telephone numbers are examples of digital addresses.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - IA-12(5)
• 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 (IA-12) reviewed