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NIST SP 800-171 CUI Protection Center

03.04.11 — Information Location

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.

1Source controls
5Assessment objectives
3Assessment methods

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

Active
Official NIST requirement content

Security requirement

  1. a.Identify and document the location of CUI and the system components on which the information is processed and stored.
  2. b.Document changes to the system or system component location where CUI is processed and stored.
Official NIST discussion

Discussion

Information location addresses the need to understand the specific system components where CUI is being processed and stored and the users who have access to CUI so that appropriate protection mechanisms can be provided, including information flow controls, access controls, and information management.

Bare Metal Cyber interpretation

Implementation perspective

Treat Information Location 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 (5)
  1. a.

    the location of CUI is identified and documented.

  2. a.

    the system components on which CUI is processed are identified and documented.

  3. a.

    the system components on which CUI is stored are identified and documented.

  4. b.

    changes to the system or system component location where CUI is processed are documented.

  5. b.

    changes to the system or system component location where CUI is stored are documented.

Examine

  • configuration management policy and procedures
  • configuration management plan
  • procedures for identification and documentation of information location
  • system audit records
  • architecture documentation
  • system design documentation
  • list of users with system and system component access
  • change control records
  • system component inventory
  • system security plan
  • other relevant documents or records

Interview

  • personnel with responsibilities for managing information location and user access
  • personnel with responsibilities for operating, using, or maintaining the system
  • personnel with information security responsibilities
  • system developers
  • system administrators

Test

  • processes governing information location
  • mechanisms for enforcing policies and methods for governing information location
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-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.