3.3.1 Device Identification

By wnoble2005@gmail.com (William Noble) 📅 2024-03-01

NIST 800-171 control 3.3.1 requires organizations to identify and inventory devices on their systems. This improves asset management, enhances security by providing visibility into connected devices, and aids in incident response. System owners are responsible for implementation, while security officials monitor and audit. Implementation involves leveraging existing discovery tools, automated registration processes, and enforcing consistent naming conventions.

An event is any observable occurrence in a system, which includes unlawful or unauthorized system activity. Organizations identify event types for which a logging functionality is needed as those events which are significant and relevant to the security of systems and the environments in which those systems operate to meet specific and ongoing auditing needs. Event types can include password changes, failed logons or failed accesses related to systems, administrative privilege usage, or third-party credential usage. In determining event types that require logging, organizations consider the monitoring and auditing appropriate for each of the CUI security requirements. Monitoring and auditing requirements can be balanced with other system needs. For example, organizations may determine that systems must have the capability to log every file access both successful and unsuccessful, but not activate that capability except for specific circumstances due to the potential burden on system performance.Audit records can be generated at various levels of abstraction, including at the packet level as information traverses the network. Selecting the appropriate level of abstraction is a critical aspect of an audit logging capability and can facilitate the identification of root causes to problems. Organizations consider in the definition of event types, the logging necessary to cover related events such as the steps in distributed, transaction-based processes (e.g., processes that are distributed across multiple organizations) and actions that occur in service-oriented or cloudbased architectures.Audit record content that may be necessary to satisfy this requirement includes time stamps, source and destination addresses, user or process identifiers, event descriptions, success or fail indications, filenames involved, and access control or flow control rules invoked. Event outcomes can include indicators of event success or failure and event-specific results (e.g., the security state of the system after the event occurred).Detailed information that organizations may consider in audit records includes full text recording of privileged commands or the individual identities of group account users. Organizations consider limiting the additional audit log information to only that information explicitly needed for specific audit requirements. This facilitates the use of audit trails and audit logs by not including information that could potentially be misleading or could make it more difficult to locate information of interest. Audit logs are reviewed and analyzed as often as needed to provide important information to organizations to facilitate risk-based decision making.[SP 800-92] provides guidance on security log management.

Benefits:

Improved Security Posture: By uniquely identifying devices, organizations can gain a comprehensive understanding of their IT environment. This allows for better access control, vulnerability management, and incident response.

Enhanced Threat Detection: Identifying and tracking devices throughout the network facilitates the detection of unauthorized or malicious devices attempting to connect.

Compliance Support: NIST 800-171 is a recognized cybersecurity framework, and adhering to its controls can help organizations meet various regulatory compliance requirements.

Reduced Risk of Data Breaches: Device identification minimizes the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information by ensuring only authorized devices can access the network.

Improved Operational Efficiency: Having a clear picture of connected devices simplifies asset management, troubleshooting, and patch deployment.

Accountability:

Senior Management By implementing device identification and user tracking, senior management demonstrates commitment to information security and regulatory compliance. They are accountable for establishing and enforcing policies, allocating resources, and ensuring overall security posture effectiveness.

IT Security Team They are responsible for implementing and maintaining device identification and user tracking solutions. They are accountable for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of captured data and reporting any security incidents identified through these mechanisms.

System Owners They are accountable for managing the security of their respective systems. Device identification helps them identify all devices accessing their systems, enabling them to implement appropriate access controls and monitor for unauthorized activity.

Individual Users Device identification allows for associating user actions with specific devices, fostering accountability for their actions within the system. This encourages responsible use and deters malicious activity.

Implementation:

Device Inventory: Create a comprehensive inventory of all devices connected to the network, including laptops, desktops, servers, mobile devices, and IoT devices.

Unique Identification: Assign each device a unique and persistent identifier, such as a device name, serial number, or MAC address.

Automated Discovery: Utilize automated tools to discover and identify devices on the network, reducing manual effort and improving accuracy.

Monitoring and Reporting: Continuously monitor for unauthorized or unidentified devices and generate reports for analysis and investigation.

Access Control: Implement access control mechanisms to restrict access to the network based on device identification.

Security Awareness: Train users on the importance of device identification and how to report suspicious activity.

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About "3.3.1 Device Identification" 🡃

Category:Cybersecurity Maturity Model
Family:Audit and Accountability (AC 3.3)
Type:Basic Security Requirements

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3.3 AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

3.3.1 Device Identification

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Accountability:

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