03.01.11E — Role-Based Access Control

Official NIST requirement content

Security requirement

a.Enforce a role-based access control policy over defined subjects and objects.
b.Control access based upon [Organization-defined: organization-defined roles and users authorized to assume such roles].

Official NIST discussion

Discussion

Role-based access control (RBAC) is an access control policy that enforces access to objects and system functions based on the defined role (i.e., job function) of the subject. Organizations can create specific roles based on job functions and the authorizations (i.e., privileges) to perform needed operations on the systems associated with the organization-defined roles. When users are assigned to specific roles, they inherit the authorizations or privileges defined for those roles. RBAC simplifies privilege administration for organizations because privileges are not assigned directly to every user (which can be a large number of individuals) but are instead acquired through role assignments. RBAC can also increase security risks if individuals assigned to a role are given access to information beyond what they need to support organizational mission or business functions. RBAC can be implemented as a mandatory or discretionary form of access control. This requirement enhances SP 800-171 requirement 03.01.02.

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.

organization-defined roles and users authorized to assume such rolesorganization-defined roles and users authorized to assume such rolesroles and users authorized to assume such roles are defined.

Official protection strategy classifications

Protection strategies supported

These classifications are carried from the official SP 800-172 OSCAL record and help explain the enhanced requirement’s defensive purpose.

PS-PRAPenetration-Resistant Architecture

Bare Metal Cyber interpretation

Implementation perspective

Treat Role-Based Access Control as an enhanced CUI protection outcome for elevated threat conditions 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.

Confirm the federal agency selected this enhanced requirement for the critical program or high-value asset and identify the CUI system components, services, users, and external connections in scope.
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 critical-program or high-value-asset CUI, data flows, users, and services are protected by this enhanced 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 800-172A content

Assessment objectives and methods

Assessment objectives (2)

a.
a role-based access control policy over defined subjects and objects is enforced.
b.
access is controlled based upon [Organization-defined: organization-defined roles and users authorized to assume such roles].

Examine

Access control policy
role-based access control policies
procedures addressing access enforcement
system design documentation
system configuration settings and associated documentation
list of roles, users, and associated privileges required to control system access
system audit records
system security plan
other relevant documents or records

Interview

Organizational personnel with access enforcement responsibilities
system/network administrators
organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
system developers

Test

Mechanisms implementing role-based access control policy

Official source-control relationships

Source NIST SP 800-53 controls

These controls are referenced by the official SP 800-172 Rev. 3 OSCAL record. Open the corresponding control pages for complete control text, enhancements, D3FEND mappings, and related learning.

Source controlAC-3(7)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.