IR-4(13)_behavior-analysis

IR-4(13) Behavior Analysis

Enhancement of: IR-4

High-Level Description

Family: Incident Response (IR) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

If the organization maintains a deception environment, an analysis of behaviors in that environment, including resources targeted by the adversary and timing of the incident or event, can provide insight into adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures. External to a deception environment, the analysis of anomalous adversarial behavior (e.g., changes in system performance or usage patterns) or suspected behavior (e.g., changes in searches for the location of specific resources) can give the organization such insight.

What to Check

• Verify IR-4(13) Behavior Analysis is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for IR-4(13)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control IR-4

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for IR-4(13) 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

Analyze anomalous or suspected adversarial behavior in or related to [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

If the organization maintains a deception environment, an analysis of behaviors in that environment, including resources targeted by the adversary and timing of the incident or event, can provide insight into adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures. External to a deception environment, the analysis of anomalous adversarial behavior (e.g., changes in system performance or usage patterns) or suspected behavior (e.g., changes in searches for the location of specific resources) can give the organization such insight.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - IR-4(13)
• 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