SI-4(20)_privileged-users

SI-4(20) Privileged Users

Enhancement of: SI-4

High-Level Description

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

Privileged users have access to more sensitive information, including security-related information, than the general user population. Access to such information means that privileged users can potentially do greater damage to systems and organizations than non-privileged users. Therefore, implementing additional monitoring on privileged users helps to ensure that organizations can identify malicious activity at the earliest possible time and take appropriate actions.

What to Check

• Verify SI-4(20) Privileged Users is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for SI-4(20)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control SI-4

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SI-4(20) 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

Implement the following additional monitoring of privileged users: [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Privileged users have access to more sensitive information, including security-related information, than the general user population. Access to such information means that privileged users can potentially do greater damage to systems and organizations than non-privileged users. Therefore, implementing additional monitoring on privileged users helps to ensure that organizations can identify malicious activity at the earliest possible time and take appropriate actions.

Risk Assessment

CWE Categories

References

• NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - SI-4(20)
• 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 (AC-18) reviewed