Security Assessment (SA) Controls

The Security Assessment (SA) family of controls, derived from NIST 800-53 Revision 5, plays a pivotal role in keeping systems secure over time.

What Are the Security Assessment (SA) Controls?

The SA family of controls focuses on ensuring that security controls are assessed for their effectiveness and are continuously monitored throughout the life of the system. This means checking whether the security measures in place are not only effective but remain effective and up-to-date as time progresses.

For FedRAMP Moderate, these controls are crucial because:

  • They ensure security controls are evaluated regularly.

  • They support continuous monitoring for vulnerabilities or weaknesses.

  • They establish corrective actions when necessary.

SA-1: Security Assessment and Authorization Policies and Procedures

Control Overview
 SA-1 requires the development of security assessment and authorization (A&A) policies and procedures. These procedures outline the process for conducting security assessments, ensuring that security is formally addressed in a repeatable manner.

Example:
 A CSP providing cloud services to a federal agency creates a comprehensive policy document detailing the steps for the security assessment process. This includes who’s responsible for conducting assessments, how often assessments are carried out, and how the results are reported. The policy is reviewed annually and updated based on new security threats or regulations.

SA-2: Security Assessments

Control Overview
 SA-2 mandates periodic security assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented security controls. It’s not a “one-and-done” kind of process—this control ensures that assessments are regularly conducted throughout the system’s lifecycle.

Example:
 A federal agency's cloud provider conducts an annual security assessment, including vulnerability scans, penetration tests, and an evaluation of incident response protocols. A third-party assessor is brought in to ensure an objective review of security posture, and the results are documented in a formal report.

SA-3: System Interconnections

Control Overview
 SA-3 focuses on assessing the security of connections between systems, ensuring that data shared between systems remains secure and is protected by appropriate controls, like encryption and access restrictions.

Example:
 A cloud provider has interconnections with external financial systems to facilitate payment processing. As part of the security assessment, the organization reviews the interconnection security agreement (ISA) to ensure that data exchanged between systems is encrypted and that proper access control measures are in place.

SA-4: Continuous Monitoring

Control Overview
 Continuous monitoring ensures that security controls are actively evaluated and updated. It’s about staying vigilant to identify new threats and weaknesses as they emerge, instead of waiting for the next scheduled assessment.

Example:
 A CSP uses a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system to monitor logs continuously. The system detects abnormal activities, such as unauthorized access attempts or suspicious data transfers, and alerts the security team for immediate action.

Security Joke Break:
 Why did the cybersecurity professional bring a ladder to work?
 To reach the high-level security standards!

SA-5: Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M)

Control Overview
 SA-5 requires organizations to develop and maintain a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M), which documents the weaknesses discovered during assessments and outlines steps for remediation.

Example:
 After a vulnerability assessment reveals a misconfigured firewall rule, the cloud provider creates a POA&M. The document includes details of the vulnerability, the timeline for patching it, and the responsible team members. As the issue is addressed, the POA&M is updated to track progress and ensure accountability.

SA-6: Security Authorization

Control Overview
 SA-6 ensures that security authorization is granted before an information system is operated, based on the results of assessments. This means that the security assessment must prove the system meets all required security standards before it goes live.

Example:
 Before launching a new cloud service, the provider completes an extensive security assessment, addressing all security controls required by FedRAMP Moderate. The results are submitted to the authorizing official, who grants authorization for the system to go live based on the findings.

SA-7: Continuous Monitoring Strategy and Assessment

Control Overview
 This control focuses on creating a continuous monitoring strategy to ensure that security posture is not just evaluated periodically but actively maintained. The strategy must include how monitoring is conducted and how findings are addressed.

Example:
 A CSP develops a continuous monitoring strategy that includes daily log analysis, monthly vulnerability scans, and quarterly external penetration tests. The strategy also defines escalation procedures for addressing high-risk vulnerabilities and communicates findings to the relevant stakeholders.

SA-8: Security Assessment Reports

Control Overview
 SA-8 requires the creation and maintenance of security assessment reports, which document the findings of assessments, including the effectiveness of security controls and any areas of improvement.

Example:
 After completing a security assessment, a cloud service provider prepares a report detailing the results of vulnerability scans, penetration tests, and risk assessments. This report is shared with the agency to confirm the provider’s adherence to security controls.

These controls not only help assess the effectiveness of security measures but also promote continuous improvement in response to new and evolving threats.

By consistently applying and monitoring these controls, organizations can ensure their cloud services are robust, secure, and ready to meet the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape.

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