Control statement
Appoint a senior agency information security officer with the mission and resources to coordinate, develop, implement, and maintain an organization-wide information security program.
Discussion
The senior agency information security officer is an organizational official. For federal agencies (as defined by applicable laws, executive orders, regulations, directives, policies, and standards), this official is the senior agency information security officer. Organizations may also refer to this official as the senior information security officer or chief information security officer.
From control text to operational evidence
Use Information Security Program Leadership Role 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 enterprise program governance, accountability, resources, metrics, and organization-wide risk decisions.
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
- program charters and policies
- governance meeting records
- risk and performance metrics
- resource and responsibility assignments
Common failure patterns
- program metrics count activity instead of outcomes
- system-level risks never reach enterprise governance
- responsibilities assigned without authority or resources
- privacy and security managed in separate silos
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
- PM-02[01]a senior agency information security officer is appointed;
- PM-02[02]the senior agency information security officer is provided with the mission and resources to coordinate an organization-wide information security program;
- PM-02[03]the senior agency information security officer is provided with the mission and resources to develop an organization-wide information security program;
- PM-02[04]the senior agency information security officer is provided with the mission and resources to implement an organization-wide information security program;
- PM-02[05]the senior agency information security officer is provided with the mission and resources to maintain an organization-wide information security program.
Examine
- Information security program plan
- procedures addressing program plan development and implementation
- procedures addressing program plan reviews and updates
- procedures addressing coordination of the program plan with relevant entities
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with information security program planning and plan implementation responsibilities
- senior information security officer
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
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.