IA-5(18)_password-managers

IA-5(18) Password Managers

Enhancement of: IA-5

High-Level Description

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

For systems where static passwords are employed, it is often a challenge to ensure that the passwords are suitably complex and that the same passwords are not employed on multiple systems. A password manager is a solution to this problem as it automatically generates and stores strong and different passwords for various accounts. A potential risk of using password managers is that adversaries can target the collection of passwords generated by the password manager. Therefore, the collection of passwords requires protection including encrypting the passwords (see IA-5(1)(d) ) and storing the collection offline in a token.

What to Check

• Verify IA-5(18) Password Managers is documented in SSP
• Validate all 2 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for IA-5(18)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control IA-5

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for IA-5(18) 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

Employ [organization-defined] to generate and manage passwords; and Protect the passwords using [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

For systems where static passwords are employed, it is often a challenge to ensure that the passwords are suitably complex and that the same passwords are not employed on multiple systems. A password manager is a solution to this problem as it automatically generates and stores strong and different passwords for various accounts. A potential risk of using password managers is that adversaries can target the collection of passwords generated by the password manager. Therefore, the collection of passwords requires protection including encrypting the passwords (see IA-5(1)(d) ) and storing the collection offline in a token.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - IA-5(18)
• 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