Control statement
- a.Maintain visitor access records to the facility where the system resides for [Organization-defined: time period];
- b.Review visitor access records [Organization-defined: frequency] ; and
- c.Report anomalies in visitor access records to [Organization-defined: personnel].
Discussion
Visitor access records include the names and organizations of individuals visiting, visitor signatures, forms of identification, dates of access, entry and departure times, purpose of visits, and the names and organizations of individuals visited. Access record reviews determine if access authorizations are current and are still required to support organizational mission and business functions. Access records are not required for publicly accessible areas.
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 Visitor Access Records 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 physical access, facility protection, environmental safeguards, and visitor accountability.
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
- badge and visitor logs
- physical access reviews
- facility diagrams and sensor records
- environmental and power test results
Common failure patterns
- logical security assumptions invalidated by physical access
- tailgating and visitor exceptions normalized
- critical infrastructure not included in access reviews
- environmental alarms not integrated into response
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
- PE-08a.visitor access records for the facility where the system resides are maintained for [Organization-defined: time period];
- PE-08b.visitor access records are reviewed [Organization-defined: frequency];
- PE-08c.visitor access records anomalies are reported to [Organization-defined: personnel].
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing visitor access records
- visitor access control logs or records
- visitor access record or log reviews
- system security plan
- privacy plan
- privacy impact assessment
- privacy risk assessment documentation
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with visitor access record responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities
Test
- Organizational processes for maintaining and reviewing visitor access records
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the maintenance and review of visitor access records
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.
PE-8(1) — Automated Records Maintenance and Review
Maintain and review visitor access records using [Organization-defined: organization-defined automated mechanisms].
Official discussion
Visitor access records may be stored and maintained in a database management system that is accessible by organizational personnel. Automated access to such records facilitates record reviews on a regular basis to determine if access authorizations are current and still required to support organizational mission and business functions.
Organization-defined parameters (3)
Assessment objectives and methods
- PE-08(01)[01]visitor access records are maintained using [Organization-defined: automated mechanisms];
- PE-08(01)[02]visitor access records are reviewed using [Organization-defined: automated mechanisms].
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing visitor access records
- automated mechanisms supporting management of visitor access records
- visitor access control logs or records
- system security plan
- privacy plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with visitor access record responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities
Test
- Organizational processes for maintaining and reviewing visitor access records
- automated mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the maintenance and review of visitor access records
PE-8(2) — Physical Access Records
This enhancement is marked withdrawn in the official OSCAL catalog. Related-control metadata below may identify where its intent was incorporated.
PE-8(3) — Limit Personally Identifiable Information Elements
Limit personally identifiable information contained in visitor access records to the following elements identified in the privacy risk assessment: [Organization-defined: elements].
Official discussion
Organizations may have requirements that specify the contents of visitor access records. Limiting personally identifiable information in visitor access records when such information is not needed for operational purposes helps reduce the level of privacy risk created by a system.
Organization-defined parameters (1)
Assessment objectives and methods
personally identifiable information contained in visitor access records is limited to [Organization-defined: elements] identified in the privacy risk assessment.
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- personally identifiable information processing policy
- privacy risk assessment documentation
- privacy impact assessment
- visitor access records
- personally identifiable information inventory
- system security plan
- privacy plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with visitor access records responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities
Test
- Organizational processes for maintaining and reviewing visitor access records
Related controls
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.