Benefits:
Protects against data tampering and modification: By ensuring that only authorized parties can participate in a communication session, NIST 800-171 control 3.13.15 safeguards data from being intercepted and altered during transmission. This is crucial for protecting sensitive information like financial data or personal details.
Ensures data integrity and prevents unauthorized changes: This control guarantees that the data received is identical to the data sent, preventing unauthorized modifications that could compromise its accuracy or validity.
Provides non-repudiation: This principle allows verification of the sender's identity in a communication. This means that both parties involved can be certain of who they are communicating with, preventing impersonation and denial of actions.
Enhances confidentiality: By encrypting communication channels, control 3.13.15 helps prevent unauthorized individuals from eavesdropping on sensitive conversations or accessing confidential data.
Accountability:
Senior Management: Sets the security tone: Clearly defines the importance of communication security and its role in protecting sensitive information. Allocates resources: Ensures adequate funding, equipment, and training to implement and maintain secure communication protocols. Conducts periodic reviews: Oversees compliance with security policies and procedures related to communication authentication.
IT Security Team: Develops and implements security protocols: Establishes strong authentication mechanisms like TLS/SSL for secure communication channels. Monitors and logs communication activities: Detects and investigates suspicious activity related to communication sessions. Provides security awareness training: Educates users on secure communication practices and potential threats like man-in-the-middle attacks.
System Owners: Implement security controls for their systems: Configure systems to utilize the defined authentication protocols for communication. Maintain system security configurations: Ensure system updates and patches address vulnerabilities related to communication security. Report suspicious activity to the security team: Raise concerns regarding potential breaches or unauthorized access attempts.
Individual Users: Follow security policies and procedures: Utilize approved communication channels and adhere to authentication requirements. Report suspicious communications: Report any unexpected behavior or attempts to compromise communication sessions. Avoid sharing sensitive information through unsecure channels: Be mindful of the information shared and the platform used for communication.
Implementation:
Cryptographic message signing: This technique uses cryptographic algorithms to ensure data integrity and sender authentication. The sender's digital signature is attached to the message, allowing the receiver to verify its authenticity and origin.
Digital signatures: These electronic signatures provide a tamper-evident way to verify the sender's identity and prevent message tampering. They are like handwritten signatures for the digital world.
Message authentication codes (MACs): These codes are mathematical functions used to detect unauthorized modifications during data transmission. Any alteration in the message would result in a different MAC value, alerting the receiver to a potential tampering attempt.
Encryption: Encrypting communication channels scrambles data using cryptographic keys, making it unreadable to anyone who doesn't possess the decryption key. This safeguards the confidentiality of sensitive information transmitted during communication sessions.
