Security requirement
Change the location of [Organization-defined: SELECTED PARAMETER VALUE] [Organization-defined: processing and/or storage].
Discussion
Adversaries target critical missions and business functions and the systems that support those missions and business functions while also trying to minimize the exposure of their existence and tradecraft. The static, homogeneous, and deterministic nature of organizational systems targeted by adversaries make such systems more susceptible to attacks with less adversary cost and effort to be successful. Changing processing and storage locations (also referred to as moving target defense) addresses the advanced persistent threat using techniques such as virtualization, distributed processing, and replication. This enables organizations to relocate the system components (i.e., processing, storage) that support critical missions and business functions. Changing the locations of processing activities and/or storage sites introduces a degree of uncertainty to the targeting activities of adversaries. The targeting uncertainty increases the work factor of adversaries and makes compromises or breaches of the organizational systems more difficult and time-consuming. Uncertainty also increases the chances that adversaries may inadvertently disclose aspects of their tradecraft while attempting to locate critical organizational assets. This requirement does not enhance a specific requirement in SP 800-171 but can be used to strengthen the protection of CUI associated with critical programs or high value assets.
Tailoring decisions required
Resolve these values through the governing organization’s approved tailoring and risk-management process before declaring the requirement implemented.
Protection strategies supported
These classifications are carried from the official SP 800-172 OSCAL record and help explain the enhanced requirement’s defensive purpose.
Implementation perspective
Treat Change Processing and Storage Locations 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 secure architecture, boundary protection, communications security, cryptography, and isolation of CUI processing.
- 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
- network and trust-boundary diagrams
- firewall and gateway configurations
- cryptographic configuration and key records
- segmentation and isolation test results
Common failure patterns
- diagrams omitting cloud and third-party paths
- encryption enabled without key governance
- flat trust zones permitting unnecessary lateral movement
- boundary rules accumulating without owner review
Assessment objectives and methods
Assessment objectives (1)
the location of [Organization-defined: processing and/or storage] is changed [Organization-defined: SELECTED PARAMETER VALUE].
Examine
- System and communications protection policy
- configuration management policy and procedures
- procedures addressing concealment and misdirection techniques for the system
- list of processing and/or storage locations to be changed at organizational time intervals
- change control records
- configuration management records
- system audit records
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- System/network administrators
- personnel with information security responsibilities
- personnel with the responsibility to change processing and/or storage locations
Test
- Mechanisms supporting and/or implementing changing processing and/or storage locations
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.
Authoritative sources
- NIST SP 800-172 Revision 3 official publication ↗
- NIST SP 800-172A 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.