Knowledge is Power
BARE METAL CYBERKnowledge is Power

Sitewide Search

Search Bare Metal Cyber

Search courses, individual lessons, wiki entries, books, podcasts, magazine articles, Daily Cyber News, and Darwin.

NIST SP 800-171 CUI Protection Center

03.04.10 — System Component Inventory

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
2Source controls
6Assessment objectives
3Assessment methods

03.04 — Configuration Management · NIST SP 800-171 Revision 3

Active
Official NIST requirement content

Security requirement

  1. a.Develop and document an inventory of system components.
  2. b.Review and update the system component inventory [Organization-defined: frequency].
  3. c.Update the system component inventory as part of installations, removals, and system updates.
Official NIST discussion

Discussion

System components are discrete, identifiable assets (i.e., hardware, software, and firmware elements) that compose a system. Organizations may implement centralized system component inventories that include components from all systems. In such situations, organizations ensure that the inventories include the system-specific information required for component accountability. The information necessary for effective accountability of system components includes the system name, software owners, software version numbers, software license information, hardware inventory specifications, and — for networked components — the machine names and network addresses for all implemented protocols (e.g., IPv4, IPv6). Inventory specifications include component type, physical location, date of receipt, manufacturer, cost, model, serial number, and supplier information.

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.

frequencyorganization-defined frequencythe frequency at which to review and update the system component inventory is defined.
Bare Metal Cyber interpretation

Implementation perspective

Treat System Component Inventory 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 baselines, secure configuration, change control, inventories, and drift management within the CUI boundary.

  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

  • approved baseline configurations
  • change tickets and approvals
  • configuration scan and drift reports
  • software and hardware inventories

Common failure patterns

  • baselines documented but not enforced
  • emergency changes never reconciled
  • cloud or ephemeral assets missing from inventory
  • security impact analysis performed after deployment
Official NIST SP 800-171A content

Assessment objectives and methods

Assessment objectives (6)
  1. a.

    an inventory of system components is developed and documented.

  2. b.

    the system component inventory is reviewed [Organization-defined: frequency].

  3. b.

    the system component inventory is updated [Organization-defined: frequency].

  4. c.

    the system component inventory is updated as part of component installations.

  5. c.

    the system component inventory is updated as part of component removals.

  6. c.

    the system component inventory is updated as part of system updates.

Examine

  • configuration management policy and procedures
  • procedures for system component inventory
  • configuration management plan
  • system design documentation
  • system component inventory
  • inventory reviews and update records
  • component installation records
  • change control records
  • component removal records
  • system change records
  • system security plan
  • other relevant documents or records

Interview

  • personnel with component inventory management responsibilities
  • personnel with information security responsibilities
  • system administrators

Test

  • processes for managing the system component inventory
  • mechanisms for supporting or implementing the system component inventory
  • processes for updating the system component inventory
  • mechanisms for supporting or implementing the system component inventory updates
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 controlCM-8Open SP 800-53 control →Source controlCM-8(1)Open 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.