NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 · 3.4 Configuration Management
3.4.2 Security configuration enforcement
Establish and enforce security configuration settings for information technology products employed in organizational systems.
- SPRS weight
- 5
- 5 points deducted from 110 when not implemented.
- CMMC level
- L2
- Level 2 only; not among the 17 Level 1 practices.
- Assessment objectives
- 2
- From NIST SP 800-171A, each one a “determine if” an assessor answers.
What an assessor checks
NIST SP 800-171A breaks 3.4.2 into 2 objectives. Every one has to be met for the requirement to be met; a partial answer scores as not implemented.
- [a]Determine if security configuration settings for information technology products employed in the system are established and included in the baseline configuration.
- [b]Determine if security configuration settings for information technology products employed in the system are enforced.
- Examine
- [SELECT FROM: Configuration management policy; procedures addressing configuration settings for the system; configuration management plan; security plan; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; security configuration checklists; evidence supporting approved deviations from established configuration settings; change control records; system audit logs and records; other relevant documents or records].
- Interview
- [SELECT FROM: Personnel with security configuration management responsibilities; personnel with information security responsibilities; system or network administrators].
- Test
- [SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for managing configuration settings; mechanisms that implement, monitor, and/or control system configuration settings; mechanisms that identify and/or document deviations from established configuration settings].
If it is open: POA&M eligibility
Not POA&M-eligible: above the 1-point ceiling · 5 points deducted
Worth 5 points. No requirement over 1 point may appear on a Level 2 POA&M, so this has to be closed before the assessment.
A POA&M is only permitted at a score of 88 or above, and closes in one 180-day window. Check a full gap list or compute your score.
Where 3.4.2 maps
NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
- CM-1 Configuration Management Policy
- CM-2 Baseline Configurations
- CM-6 Configuration Settings
NIST CSF 2.0
- Configuration management processes are established Information Protection Processes and Procedures
SOC 2
- CC8 Change Management - Implement change management activities
Query it from your own tools
This page and the MacTech CMMC MCP server render the same dataset. Ask your assistant and it will answer from the methodology, not from memory.
lookup_control 3.4.2 get_assessment_objectives 3.4.2 generate_poam_entries ["3.4.2"]
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