Control statement
- a.Develop, document, and disseminate to [Organization-defined: organization-defined personnel or roles]:
- 1.[Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy that:
- (a)Addresses purpose, scope, roles, responsibilities, management commitment, coordination among organizational entities, and compliance; and
- (b)Is consistent with applicable laws, executive orders, directives, regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines; and
- 2.Procedures to facilitate the implementation of the system and communications protection policy and the associated system and communications protection controls;
- 1.[Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy that:
- b.Designate an [Organization-defined: official] to manage the development, documentation, and dissemination of the system and communications protection policy and procedures; and
- c.Review and update the current system and communications protection:
- 1.Policy [Organization-defined: frequency] and following [Organization-defined: events] ; and
- 2.Procedures [Organization-defined: frequency] and following [Organization-defined: events].
Discussion
System and communications protection policy and procedures address the controls in the SC family that are implemented within systems and organizations. The risk management strategy is an important factor in establishing such policies and procedures. Policies and procedures contribute to security and privacy assurance. Therefore, it is important that security and privacy programs collaborate on the development of system and communications protection policy and procedures. Security and privacy program policies and procedures at the organization level are preferable, in general, and may obviate the need for mission- or system-specific policies and procedures. The policy can be included as part of the general security and privacy policy or be represented by multiple policies that reflect the complex nature of organizations. Procedures can be established for security and privacy programs, for mission or business processes, and for systems, if needed. Procedures describe how the policies or controls are implemented and can be directed at the individual or role that is the object of the procedure. Procedures can be documented in system security and privacy plans or in one or more separate documents. Events that may precipitate an update to system and communications protection policy and procedures include assessment or audit findings, security incidents or breaches, or changes in applicable laws, executive orders, directives, regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines. Simply restating controls does not constitute an organizational policy or procedure.
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 Policy and Procedures 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 architecture, boundary protection, communications protection, cryptography, and system isolation.
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
- network and trust-boundary diagrams
- firewall and gateway configurations
- cryptographic configuration and key records
- segmentation and isolation test results
Common failure patterns
- diagrams omit cloud and third-party paths
- encryption enabled without key governance
- flat trust zones allow unnecessary lateral movement
- boundary rules accumulate without owner review
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
- SC-01a.
- SC-01a.[01]a system and communications protection policy is developed and documented;
- SC-01a.[02]the system and communications protection policy is disseminated to [Organization-defined: personnel or roles];
- SC-01a.[03]system and communications protection procedures to facilitate the implementation of the system and communications protection policy and associated system and communications protection controls are developed and documented;
- SC-01a.[04]the system and communications protection procedures are disseminated to [Organization-defined: personnel or roles];
- SC-01a.01
- SC-01a.01(a)
- SC-01a.01(a)[01]the [Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy addresses purpose;
- SC-01a.01(a)[02]the [Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy addresses scope;
- SC-01a.01(a)[03]the [Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy addresses roles;
- SC-01a.01(a)[04]the [Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy addresses responsibilities;
- SC-01a.01(a)[05]the [Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy addresses management commitment;
- SC-01a.01(a)[06]the [Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy addresses coordination among organizational entities;
- SC-01a.01(a)[07]the [Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy addresses compliance;
- SC-01a.01(b)the [Organization-defined: sc-01_odp.03] system and communications protection policy is consistent with applicable laws, Executive Orders, directives, regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines;
- SC-01a.01(a)
- SC-01b.the [Organization-defined: official] is designated to manage the development, documentation, and dissemination of the system and communications protection policy and procedures;
- SC-01c.
- SC-01c.01
- SC-01c.01[01]the current system and communications protection policy is reviewed and updated [Organization-defined: frequency];
- SC-01c.01[02]the current system and communications protection policy is reviewed and updated following [Organization-defined: events];
- SC-01c.02
- SC-01c.02[01]the current system and communications protection procedures are reviewed and updated [Organization-defined: frequency];
- SC-01c.02[02]the current system and communications protection procedures are reviewed and updated following [Organization-defined: events].
- SC-01c.01
Examine
- System and communications protection policy
- system and communications protection procedures
- system security plan
- privacy plan
- risk management strategy documentation
- audit findings
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with system and communications protection responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities
Related controls
These relationships come from the official OSCAL catalog. They indicate useful dependencies or context, not automatic inheritance or equivalence.
Related NIST SP 800-171 requirements
These Rev. 3 requirements cite this base control or one of its enhancements as a source. The relationship does not by itself determine contractual applicability or complete implementation.
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.