Security requirement
- a.Review and analyze system audit records [Organization-defined: frequency] for indications and the potential impact of inappropriate or unusual activity.
- b.Report findings to organizational personnel or roles.
- c.Analyze and correlate audit records across different repositories to gain organization-wide situational awareness.
Discussion
Audit record review, analysis, and reporting cover information security logging performed by organizations and can include logging that results from the monitoring of account usage, remote access, wireless connectivity, configuration settings, the use of maintenance tools and nonlocal maintenance, system component inventory, mobile device connection, equipment delivery and removal, physical access, temperature and humidity, communications at system interfaces, and the use of mobile code. Findings can be reported to organizational entities, such as the incident response team, help desk, and security or privacy offices. If organizations are prohibited from reviewing and analyzing audit records or unable to conduct such activities, the review or analysis may be carried out by other organizations granted such authority. The scope, frequency, and/or depth of the audit record review, analysis, and reporting may be adjusted to meet organizational needs based on new information received. Correlating audit record review, analysis, and reporting processes helps to ensure that audit records collectively create a more complete view of events.
Tailoring decisions required
Resolve these values through the governing organization’s approved tailoring and risk-management process before declaring the requirement implemented.
Implementation perspective
Treat Audit Record Review, Analysis, and Reporting as a CUI protection outcome that must be reflected in the system boundary, documented implementation, operational behavior, and assessment evidence. Pay particular attention to event selection, trustworthy logging, review, retention, and support for CUI investigations.
- Confirm the requirement is in scope for the CUI system components, services, users, and external connections being assessed.
- Resolve every organization-defined parameter through an approved governance and tailoring process.
- Map each clause of the requirement to an accountable owner, implementation mechanism, and evidence source.
- Verify that inherited and shared implementations are supported by current provider evidence and responsibility boundaries.
- 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
- logging standards and event-selection decisions
- sample audit records and retention settings
- time synchronization evidence
- alert review and investigation records
Common failure patterns
- collecting logs without defined use cases
- critical CUI events absent from the audit trail
- retention shorter than investigative needs
- logs modifiable by the same administrators being monitored
Assessment objectives and methods
Assessment objectives (4)
- a.
system audit records are reviewed and analyzed [Organization-defined: frequency] for indications and the potential impact of inappropriate or unusual activity.
- b.
findings are reported to organizational personnel or roles.
- c.
audit records across different repositories are analyzed to gain organization-wide situational awareness.
- c.
audit records across different repositories are correlated to gain organization-wide situational awareness.
Examine
- audit and accountability policy and procedures
- procedures for audit record review, analysis, and reporting
- reports of audit record findings
- records of actions taken in response to reviews and analyses of audit records
- system design documentation
- system audit records across different repositories
- system security plan
- system configuration settings
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- personnel with audit record review, analysis, and reporting responsibilities
- personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- mechanisms for supporting the analysis and correlation of audit records
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.
Authoritative sources
- NIST SP 800-171 Revision 3 official publication ↗
- NIST SP 800-171A Revision 3 official publication ↗
- NIST OSCAL Content release used for this import ↗
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.