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NIST SP 800-171 CUI Protection Center

03.01.11 — Session Termination

Read the official CUI requirement and assessment content, then use the separately labeled Bare Metal Cyber perspective to connect it to implementation, evidence, and sustained operation.

1Parameters
1Source controls
1Assessment objectives
3Assessment methods

03.01 — Access Control · NIST SP 800-171 Revision 3

Active
Official NIST requirement content

Security requirement

Terminate a user session automatically after [Organization-defined: conditions or trigger events].

Official NIST discussion

Discussion

This requirement addresses the termination of user-initiated logical sessions in contrast to the termination of network connections that are associated with communications sessions (i.e., disconnecting from the network) in 03.13.09. A logical session is initiated whenever a user (or processes acting on behalf of a user) accesses a system. Logical sessions can be terminated (and thus terminate user access) without terminating network sessions. Session termination ends all system processes associated with a user’s logical session except those processes that are created by the user (i.e., session owner) to continue after the session is terminated. Conditions or trigger events that require automatic session termination can include organization-defined periods of user inactivity, time-of-day restrictions on system use, and targeted responses to certain types of incidents.

Official organization-defined parameters

Tailoring decisions required

Resolve these values through the governing organization’s approved tailoring and risk-management process before declaring the requirement implemented.

conditions or trigger eventsorganization-defined conditions or trigger events requiring session disconnectconditions or trigger events that require session disconnect are defined.
Bare Metal Cyber interpretation

Implementation perspective

Treat Session Termination as a CUI protection outcome that must be reflected in the system boundary, documented implementation, operational behavior, and assessment evidence. Pay particular attention to approved identities, least privilege, remote access, information flow, and the full account lifecycle.

  1. Confirm the requirement is in scope for the CUI system components, services, users, and external connections being assessed.
  2. Resolve every organization-defined parameter through an approved governance and tailoring process.
  3. Map each clause of the requirement to an accountable owner, implementation mechanism, and evidence source.
  4. Verify that inherited and shared implementations are supported by current provider evidence and responsibility boundaries.
  5. Collect evidence during normal operation and review changes, exceptions, and deficiencies on a risk-based cadence.

Questions to ask

  • Which CUI assets, data flows, users, and services are protected by this requirement?
  • Which portions are implemented locally, inherited, shared, or not applicable, and what evidence supports that determination?
  • Do the system security plan, deployed configuration, operating process, and assessment evidence tell the same story?
  • What change, incident, or threshold should trigger reassessment?

Evidence and validation

  • access authorization and approval records
  • account inventories and entitlement exports
  • access review results
  • authentication and authorization logs

Common failure patterns

  • CUI access that exceeds mission need
  • shared or orphaned accounts
  • remote access paths outside the approved boundary
  • access reviews that cannot be reconciled to deployed permissions
Official NIST SP 800-171A content

Assessment objectives and methods

Assessment objectives (1)
  1. SR-03.1.11.

    a user session is terminated automatically after [Organization-defined: conditions or trigger events].

Examine

  • access control policy and procedures
  • procedures for session termination
  • system design documentation
  • system configuration settings
  • list of conditions or trigger events requiring session disconnect
  • system audit records
  • system security plan
  • other relevant documents or records

Interview

  • personnel with information security responsibilities
  • system developers
  • system administrators

Test

  • automated mechanisms for implementing user session termination
Official source-control relationships

Source NIST SP 800-53 controls

These controls are referenced by the official SP 800-171 Rev. 3 OSCAL record. Open the corresponding control pages for complete control text, enhancements, D3FEND mappings, and related learning.

Source controlAC-12Open SP 800-53 control →
Source record

Authoritative sources

Bare Metal Cyber is an independent educational publisher and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NIST. The official publications, the responsible federal agency, and the governing contract or agreement determine applicability, tailoring, assessment depth, and required implementation.