Control statement
- a.Establish [Organization-defined: policies] governing the installation of software by users;
- b.Enforce software installation policies through the following methods: [Organization-defined: methods] ; and
- c.Monitor policy compliance [Organization-defined: frequency].
Discussion
If provided the necessary privileges, users can install software in organizational systems. To maintain control over the software installed, organizations identify permitted and prohibited actions regarding software installation. Permitted software installations include updates and security patches to existing software and downloading new applications from organization-approved "app stores." Prohibited software installations include software with unknown or suspect pedigrees or software that organizations consider potentially malicious. Policies selected for governing user-installed software are organization-developed or provided by some external entity. Policy enforcement methods can include procedural methods and automated methods.
Organization-defined parameters
These values must be resolved through the organization’s tailoring and governance process. Bracketed parameter references in the control text identify where a decision is required.
From control text to operational evidence
Use User-installed Software as a testable risk decision. Translate the official statement into accountable people, repeatable processes, configured technology, and evidence that demonstrates the outcome over time. In this family, pay particular attention to secure baselines, controlled change, configuration visibility, and drift management.
Implementation workflow
- Define the control boundary, responsible owner, inherited portions, and systems or processes in scope.
- Resolve each organization-defined parameter before declaring the control implemented.
- Document how the implementation satisfies every clause of the official control statement.
- Collect evidence as a normal byproduct of operation rather than only before an assessment.
- Review exceptions, changes, and monitoring results on a risk-based cadence.
Evidence examples
- approved baseline configurations
- change tickets and approvals
- configuration scans and drift reports
- software and hardware inventories
Common failure patterns
- baselines documented but not enforced
- emergency changes never reconciled
- asset inventories that omit cloud or ephemeral resources
- security-impact analysis performed after deployment
Questions practitioners should ask
- What risk decision is this control intended to support in this system?
- Which parts are implemented locally, inherited, shared, or not applicable—and what evidence supports that decision?
- Do the documented narrative, deployed configuration, operating process, and collected evidence agree?
- What event or threshold requires the implementation to be reviewed or changed?
Assessment objectives and methods
Show the assessment objective
- CM-11a.[Organization-defined: policies] governing the installation of software by users are established;
- CM-11b.software installation policies are enforced through [Organization-defined: methods];
- CM-11c.compliance with [Organization-defined: policies] is monitored [Organization-defined: frequency].
Examine
- Configuration management policy
- procedures addressing user-installed software
- configuration management plan
- system security plan
- system design documentation
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
- list of rules governing user installed software
- system monitoring records
- system audit records
- continuous monitoring strategy
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for governing user-installed software
- organizational personnel operating, using, and/or maintaining the system
- organizational personnel monitoring compliance with user-installed software policy
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
- system/network administrators
Test
- Organizational processes governing user-installed software on the system
- mechanisms enforcing policies and methods for governing the installation of software by users
- mechanisms monitoring policy compliance
Related controls
These relationships come from the official OSCAL catalog. They indicate useful dependencies or context, not automatic inheritance or equivalence.
Control enhancements
Enhancements add specificity, strength, or scope to the base control. Baseline badges show explicit selections in the official SP 800-53B OSCAL profiles.
CM-11(1) — Alerts for Unauthorized Installations
This enhancement is marked withdrawn in the official OSCAL catalog. Related-control metadata below may identify where its intent was incorporated.
CM-11(2) — Software Installation with Privileged Status
Allow user installation of software only with explicit privileged status.
Official discussion
Privileged status can be obtained, for example, by serving in the role of system administrator.
Assessment objectives and methods
user installation of software is allowed only with explicit privileged status.
Examine
- Configuration management policy
- procedures addressing user-installed software
- configuration management plan
- system security plan
- system design documentation
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
- alerts/notifications of unauthorized software installations
- system audit records
- continuous monitoring strategy
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for governing user-installed software
- organizational personnel operating, using, and/or maintaining the system
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
- system/network administrators
Test
- Organizational processes governing user-installed software on the system
- mechanisms for prohibiting installation of software without privileged status (e.g., access controls)
Related controls
CM-11(3) — Automated Enforcement and Monitoring
Enforce and monitor compliance with software installation policies using [Organization-defined: organization-defined automated mechanisms].
Official discussion
Organizations enforce and monitor compliance with software installation policies using automated mechanisms to more quickly detect and respond to unauthorized software installation which can be an indicator of an internal or external hostile attack.
Organization-defined parameters (3)
Assessment objectives and methods
- CM-11(03)[01]compliance with software installation policies is enforced using [Organization-defined: automated mechanisms];
- CM-11(03)[02]compliance with software installation policies is monitored using [Organization-defined: automated mechanisms].
Examine
- Configuration management policy
- procedures addressing user-installed software
- configuration management plan
- system security plan
- system design documentation
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
- list of rules governing user installed software
- system monitoring records
- system audit records
- continuous monitoring strategy
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with responsibilities for governing user-installed software
- organizational personnel operating, using, and/or maintaining the system
- organizational personnel monitoring compliance with user-installed software policy
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
- system/network administrators
Test
- Organizational processes governing user-installed software on the system
- automated mechanisms enforcing policies on installation of software by users
- automated mechanisms monitoring policy compliance
Authoritative sources
Bare Metal Cyber is an independent educational publisher and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NIST. Official control requirements and interpretations remain with NIST and the responsible authorizing organization.