SA-11(3)_independent-verification-of-assessment-plans-and-evidence

SA-11(3) Independent Verification of Assessment Plans and Evidence

Enhancement of: SA-11

High-Level Description

Family: System and Services Acquisition (SA) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Independent agents have the qualifications—including the expertise, skills, training, certifications, and experience—to verify the correct implementation of developer security and privacy assessment plans.

What to Check

• Verify SA-11(3) Independent Verification of Assessment Plans and Evidence is documented in SSP
• Validate all 2 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for SA-11(3)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control SA-11

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SA-11(3) 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 an independent agent satisfying [organization-defined] to verify the correct implementation of the developer security and privacy assessment plans and the evidence produced during testing and evaluation; and Verify that the independent agent is provided with sufficient information to complete the verification process or granted the authority to obtain such information.

Implementation Guidance

Independent agents have the qualifications—including the expertise, skills, training, certifications, and experience—to verify the correct implementation of developer security and privacy assessment plans.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - SA-11(3)
• 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 (AT-3, RA-5) reviewed