CMMC Practice MA.L2-3.7.6 – Maintenance Personnel: Supervise the maintenance activities of personnel without required access authorization.
Links to Publicly Available Resources
This article provides an overview of steps organizations can take to reduce remote access security risks. This Blog provides tips on how to secure remote access. There are links within the document to additional articles. This link provides 5 best practices for controlling third-party vendor risks. This document provides assessment guidance for conducting Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) assessments for Level 2. This link provide a sample policy from the Colorado Department of Education. It creates a formal process of maintaining hardware and software to ensure that a clearly defined set of procedures is used to manage system resources. This link provides specific processes you can use, and how those strategies can be applied to some of the different types of vendor engagements you need to support. From the Department of Homeland Security, these are recommended practices for configuring and managing remote access for control systems covering various roles including vendors, field technicians, business partners (all of which may have differing requirements.) Third-Party Vendor Remote Access Best Practices Privileged account access and how it can be used in a malicious way to gain access and how to protect against it. The organization: a. Establishes a process for maintenance personnel authorization and maintains a list of authorized maintenance organizations or personnel; b. Ensures that non-escorted personnel performing maintenance on the information system have required access authorizations; and c. Designates organizational personnel with required access authorizations and technical competence to supervise the maintenance activities of personnel who do not possess the required access authorizations. This is State of North Carolina’s IT System Maintenance policy and provides an example of the roles, responsibilities and various components of maintenance supervision. To move your business forward and propel growth, you need to be able to trust your third parties and their security posture. Everything You Need to Know About Third-Party Risk Management Splunk Monitoring 101: The Power to Predict and Prevent.
Discussion [NIST SP 800-171 R2]
This requirement applies to individuals who are performing hardware or software maintenance on organizational systems, while PE.L1-3.10.1 addresses physical access for individuals whose maintenance duties place them within the physical protection perimeterof the systems (e.g., custodial staff, physical plant maintenance personnel). Individuals not previously identified as authorized maintenance personnel, such as information technology manufacturers, vendors, consultants, and systems integrators, may require privileged access to organizational systems, for example, when required to conduct maintenance activities with little or no notice. Organizations may choose to issue temporary credentials to these individuals based on organizational risk assessments. Temporary credentials may be for one-time use or for very limited time periods.
Further Discussion
Individuals without proper permissions must be supervised while conducting maintenance on organizational machines. Consider creating temporary accounts with short-term expiration periods rather than regular user accounts. Additionally, limit the permissions and access these accounts have to the most restrictive settings possible.