SI-13(1)_transferring-component-responsibilities

SI-13(1) Transferring Component Responsibilities

Enhancement of: SI-13

High-Level Description

Family: System and Information Integrity (SI) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Transferring primary system component responsibilities to other substitute components prior to primary component failure is important to reduce the risk of degraded or debilitated mission or business functions. Making such transfers based on a percentage of mean time to failure allows organizations to be proactive based on their risk tolerance. However, the premature replacement of system components can result in the increased cost of system operations.

What to Check

• Verify SI-13(1) Transferring Component Responsibilities is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for SI-13(1)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control SI-13

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SI-13(1) 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

Take system components out of service by transferring component responsibilities to substitute components no later than [organization-defined] of mean time to failure.

Implementation Guidance

Transferring primary system component responsibilities to other substitute components prior to primary component failure is important to reduce the risk of degraded or debilitated mission or business functions. Making such transfers based on a percentage of mean time to failure allows organizations to be proactive based on their risk tolerance. However, the premature replacement of system components can result in the increased cost of system operations.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - SI-13(1)
• 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