Control statement
- a.Establish personnel security requirements, including security roles and responsibilities for external providers;
- b.Require external providers to comply with personnel security policies and procedures established by the organization;
- c.Document personnel security requirements;
- d.Require external providers to notify [Organization-defined: personnel or roles] of any personnel transfers or terminations of external personnel who possess organizational credentials and/or badges, or who have system privileges within [Organization-defined: time period] ; and
- e.Monitor provider compliance with personnel security requirements.
Discussion
External provider refers to organizations other than the organization operating or acquiring the system. External providers include service bureaus, contractors, and other organizations that provide system development, information technology services, testing or assessment services, outsourced applications, and network/security management. Organizations explicitly include personnel security requirements in acquisition-related documents. External providers may have personnel working at organizational facilities with credentials, badges, or system privileges issued by organizations. Notifications of external personnel changes ensure the appropriate termination of privileges and credentials. Organizations define the transfers and terminations deemed reportable by security-related characteristics that include functions, roles, and the nature of credentials or privileges associated with transferred or terminated individuals.
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 External Personnel Security 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 personnel risk, screening, agreements, transfer, termination, and access consequences.
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
- screening and suitability records
- access agreements
- transfer and termination checklists
- role change and offboarding evidence
Common failure patterns
- access persists after transfer or separation
- contractor lifecycle handled outside normal controls
- sensitive-role screening not risk based
- termination actions cannot be shown to occur promptly
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
- PS-07a.personnel security requirements are established, including security roles and responsibilities for external providers;
- PS-07b.external providers are required to comply with personnel security policies and procedures established by the organization;
- PS-07c.personnel security requirements are documented;
- PS-07d.external providers are required to notify [Organization-defined: personnel or roles] of any personnel transfers or terminations of external personnel who possess organizational credentials and/or badges or who have system privileges within [Organization-defined: time period];
- PS-07e.provider compliance with personnel security requirements is monitored.
Examine
- Personnel security policy
- procedures addressing external personnel security
- list of personnel security requirements
- acquisition documents
- service-level agreements
- compliance monitoring process
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with personnel security responsibilities
- external providers
- system/network administrators
- organizational personnel with account management responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Organizational processes for managing and monitoring external personnel security
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing the monitoring of provider compliance
Related controls
These relationships come from the official OSCAL catalog. They indicate useful dependencies or context, not automatic inheritance or equivalence.
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.