PE-8_visitor-access-records

PE-8 Visitor Access Records

High-Level Description

Family: Physical and Environmental Protection (PE) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Visitor access records include the names and organizations of individuals visiting, visitor signatures, forms of identification, dates of access, entry and departure times, purpose of visits, and the names and organizations of individuals visited. Access record reviews determine if access authorizations are current and are still required to support organizational mission and business functions. Access records are not required for publicly accessible areas.

What to Check

• Verify PE-8 Visitor Access Records is documented in SSP
• Validate all 3 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for PE-8

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for PE-8 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

Maintain visitor access records to the facility where the system resides for [organization-defined]; Review visitor access records [organization-defined] ; and Report anomalies in visitor access records to [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Visitor access records include the names and organizations of individuals visiting, visitor signatures, forms of identification, dates of access, entry and departure times, purpose of visits, and the names and organizations of individuals visited. Access record reviews determine if access authorizations are current and are still required to support organizational mission and business functions. Access records are not required for publicly accessible areas.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - PE-8
• 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 (PE-2, PE-3, PE-6) reviewed