Organizational Control: Maintenance Personnel

Control ID: MA-5 Maintenance Personnel Family: Maintenance Source: NIST 800-53r4
Control: The organization:
  1. Establishes a process for maintenance personnel authorization and maintains a list of authorized maintenance organizations or personnel;
  2. Ensures that non-escorted personnel performing maintenance on the information system have required access authorizations; and
  3. 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.
Supplemental Guidance:
This control applies to individuals performing hardware or software maintenance on organizational information systems, while PE-2 addresses physical access for individuals whose maintenance duties place them within the physical protection perimeter of the systems (e.g.,custodial staff, physical plant maintenance personnel). Technical competence of supervising individuals relates to the maintenance performed on the information systems while having required access authorizations refers to maintenance on and near the systems. Individuals not previously identified as authorized maintenance personnel, such as information technology manufacturers, vendors, systems integrators, and consultants, may require privileged access to organizational information systems, for example, when required to conduct maintenance activities with little or no notice. Based on organizational assessments of risk, organizations may issue temporary credentials to these individuals. Temporary credentials may be for one-time use or for very limited time periods.

Related Controls: AC-2, MP-2, PE-2, PE-3, PE-4, RA-3, IA-8
Control Enhancements:
(1) Maintenance Personnel | Individuals Without Appropriate Access
The organization:
  1. Implements procedures for the use of maintenance personnel that lack appropriate security clearances or are not U.S. citizens, that include the following requirements:
  2. Maintenance personnel who do not have needed access authorizations, clearances, or formal access approvals are escorted and supervised during the performance of maintenance and diagnostic activities on the information system by approved organizational personnel who are fully cleared, have appropriate access authorizations, and are technically qualified;
  3. Prior to initiating maintenance or diagnostic activities by personnel who do not have needed access authorizations, clearances or formal access approvals, all volatile information storage components within the information system are sanitized and all nonvolatile storage media are removed or physically disconnected from the system and secured; and
    1. Develops and implements alternate security safeguards in the event an information system component cannot be sanitized, removed, or disconnected from the system.

Supplemental Guidance: This control enhancement denies individuals who lack appropriate security clearances (i.e.,individuals who do not possess security clearances or possess security clearances at a lower level than required) or who are not U.S. citizens, visual and electronic access to any classified information, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), or any other sensitive information contained on organizational information systems. Procedures for the use of maintenance personnel can be documented in security plans for the information systems.
Related Controls: MP-6, PL-2
References: N/A
Mechanisms:

Protocol Implementation Conformance Statements: N/A