PS-9_position-descriptions

PS-9 Position Descriptions

High-Level Description

Family: Personnel Security (PS) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Specification of security and privacy roles in individual organizational position descriptions facilitates clarity in understanding the security or privacy responsibilities associated with the roles and the role-based security and privacy training requirements for the roles.

What to Check

• Verify PS-9 Position Descriptions is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for PS-9

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for PS-9 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

Incorporate security and privacy roles and responsibilities into organizational position descriptions.

Implementation Guidance

Specification of security and privacy roles in individual organizational position descriptions facilitates clarity in understanding the security or privacy responsibilities associated with the roles and the role-based security and privacy training requirements for the roles.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - PS-9
• 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