Guide to understanding_fed_ramp_042213

Guide to Understanding FedRAMP
Version 1.2
April 22, 2013

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Executive Summary
This document provides helpful hints and guidance to make it easier to understand
FedRAMP’s requirements. The primary purpose of this document is to act as an aid for
Cloud Service Providers and Third-Party Assessment Organizations (3PAOs) to get
through the security assessment process quickly. The FedRAMP website can be found at
www.fedramp.gov and information found in this document is consistent with the program
described on the website. The FedRAMP program supports the U.S. government’s
mandate that all U.S. federal information systems comply with the Federal Information
Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).

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Document Revision History
Date Page(s) Description Author
6/6/2012 All Version 1.0 FedRAMP Office
10/15/2012 pp. 38-39 Added § 3.10.3, 3.10.4, and 3.10.5. (PE-2, PE-3, PE-4) FedRAMP Office
10/26/2012 p. 36 Table number revised FedRAMP Office
11/14/2012 p. 20 Added § 3.9, all other sections past §3.9 renumbered FedRAMP Office
11/14/2012 p. 13 §1.5 revised FedRAMP Office
11/14/2012 p. 33 §3.10.4.2 revised FedRAMP Office
02/04/13 p. 40 Added §3.11.6, 3.11.7, 3.11.8 FedRAMP Office
03/04/13 p. 14 §2.2.4 revised to change 3PAO scans to annual FedRAMP Office
03/04/13 p. 13 Updated Figure 2-1 FedRAMP Office
03/04/13 p. 38 Added new §3.11.3 FedRAMP Office
03/25/2013 p. 18 §3.7 revised FedRAMP Office
03/25/2013 Various
§1.4 revised; §2.2 revised; §2.2.2 revised; added new
§3.12 SI-5; added Figures 3-1 and 3-23; added new
§3.11.15 SC-13(1); §3.9 revised; §3.15 revised, §5.2
revised.
FedRAMP Office
4/22/2013 Varioius
Minor updates to fix misnumbered headings and
tables: §1.4; §3.15; §3.10.2; §3.10.4; Table of
Contents, List of Tables; List of Figures.
FedRAMP Office

Version 1.2, April 22, 2013
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Table of Contents
About this document...............................................................................................................................9
Who should use this document? ..........................................................................................................9
How this document is organized...........................................................................................................9
Conventions used in this document......................................................................................................9
How to contact us ..............................................................................................................................10
1. FedRAMP Introduction...............................................................................................................11
1.1 Applicable Laws and Regulations............................................................................................11
1.2 Applicable Standards and Guidance........................................................................................11
1.3 FedRAMP governance ............................................................................................................12
1.4 Overview of The FedRAMP Process ........................................................................................12
2. Guidelines For Third-Party Assessment Organizations.................................................................13
Security Assessment Plan (SAP) Template ...................................................................142.2.1
Security Test Test Cases...............................................................................................142.2.2
Security Assessment Report (SAR) Template ...............................................................142.2.3
Running Scans.............................................................................................................142.2.4
3. Guidelines For Cloud Service Providers.......................................................................................15
3.1 Before You Begin....................................................................................................................15
3.2 Initiating the Process..............................................................................................................16
3.3 After Acceptance Into The FedRAMP Program........................................................................17
3.4 FIPS 199 Template..................................................................................................................17
3.5 e-Authentication Template.....................................................................................................18
3.6 Privacy Threshold Analysis & Privacy Impact Assessment........................................................18
3.7 CTW Template........................................................................................................................19
3.8 CIS Template ..........................................................................................................................19
3.9 User Guide.............................................................................................................................21
3.10 Components, Boundaries, and Architecture ...........................................................................21
Describing Information System Components (§ 9.2 SSP)..............................................213.10.1
Use Cases ...................................................................................................................223.10.2
3.10.2.1 Case 1: Simple IaaS .................................................................................................23
3.10.2.2 Case 2: Simple PaaS ................................................................................................23
3.10.2.3 Case 3: Simple SaaS.................................................................................................24
3.10.2.4 Case 4: One Provider, Just SaaS...............................................................................24

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3.10.2.5 Case 5: Two Cloud Providers, IaaS and PaaS............................................................25
3.10.2.6 Case 6: Three Cloud Providers, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS................................................26
3.10.2.7 Case 7: Two Cloud IaaS Providers............................................................................27
3.10.2.8 Case 8: Two Cloud IaaS Providers and a PaaS Provider ............................................27
3.10.2.9 Case 9: Three Cloud Providers, One IaaS and Two PaaS...........................................28
Discussing Virtualization .............................................................................................293.10.3
Discussing Boundaries (§ 9.2 in SSP)............................................................................303.10.4
3.10.4.1 Discussing Live Migrations ......................................................................................32
3.10.4.2 Discussing Storage Components..............................................................................33
Addressing the Data Flow Diagram (§ 10.1.4 in SSP)....................................................343.10.5
3.11 Describing the Security Controls in the SSP (§ 13 in SSP).........................................................35
Security Control Summary Information.......................................................................373.11.1
Security Control AC-7..................................................................................................393.11.2
Security Control IA-5(3)...............................................................................................393.11.3
Security Control PE-2(a)(b)(c)......................................................................................403.11.4
Security Control PE-3(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)......................................................................403.11.5
Security Control PE-4..................................................................................................403.11.6
Security Control PE-5..................................................................................................413.11.7
Security Control PE-6(a)(b)(c)......................................................................................413.11.8
Security Control PE-6(1)..............................................................................................413.11.9
Security Control PE-13 (1)(2)(3)...................................................................................423.11.10
Security Control PL (4) ................................................................................................423.11.11
Security Control SA-11(1)............................................................................................433.11.12
Security Control SC-7 (1).............................................................................................433.11.13
Security Control SC-13 ................................................................................................453.11.14
Security Control SC-13(1)............................................................................................463.11.15
3.12 Security Alerts & Advisories (SI-5)...........................................................................................47
3.13 IT Contingency Plan (CP-2)......................................................................................................47
3.14 Business Impact Analysis (BIA)................................................................................................47
3.15 Configuration Management Plan (CM-9) ................................................................................47
3.16 Incident Response Plan (IR-8).................................................................................................51
Security Control IR-2...................................................................................................523.11.16

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Security Control IR-4(1)...............................................................................................543.11.19
3.17 POA&M Template...................................................................................................................57
4. Instructions for CSPs on Maintaining the Authorization..............................................................57
4.1 Ongoing Assessment and Continuous Monitoring.........................................................................57
5. General Documentation Information for CSP..............................................................................58
5.1 Formatting and Section Numbers .................................................................................................58
5.2 Sensitivity Markings......................................................................................................................58
5.3 Items That Are Not Applicable ......................................................................................................58

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List of Tables
Table 3-1. Preparation Checklist.............................................................................................................15
Table 3-2. Information Types for IaaS Providers......................................................................................17
Table 3-3. Example of Security Control Summary Information................................................................37
Table 3-4. Control Origination Definitions ..............................................................................................38
Table 3-5. Configuration Management Controls.....................................................................................48
Table 3-6. Configuration Management Nomenclature............................................................................48
Table 3-7. Incident Response Controls....................................................................................................51
Table 3-8. Agency Points of Contact to Report Incidents.........................................................................55

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List of Figures
Figure 1-1. FedRAMP Process ................................................................................................................13
Figure 3-1. FedRAMP Initiation Request Form........................................................................................16
Figure 3-2. Screenshot from CTW ..........................................................................................................19
Figure 3-3. Select the Implementation Status in the CIS.........................................................................20
Figure 3-4. Select the Control Origination Responsibility........................................................................20
Figure 3-5. Example of Components Described by Name .......................................................................22
Figure 3-6. Example of Components Described by Function...................................................................22
Figure 3-7. One IaaS Provider.................................................................................................................23
Figure 3-8. One Provider for IaaS and PaaS ............................................................................................24
Figure 3-9. One Provider, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.......................................................................................24
Figure 3-10. One Provider, Just SaaS ......................................................................................................25
Figure 3-11. Two Providers, One IaaS and One PaaS...............................................................................26
Figure 3-12. Three Providers, One IaaS, One PaaS, and One SaaS...........................................................26
Figure 3-13. Two IaaS Providers .............................................................................................................27
Figure 3-14. Two IaaS and One PaaS Provider.........................................................................................28
Figure 3-15. Three Providers, One IaaS and Two PaaS ............................................................................29
Figure 3-16. Security Controls Fitting Together.......................................................................................31
Figure 3-17. Security Control Gap ..........................................................................................................31
Figure 3-18. Example of Storage Array Illustration..................................................................................34
Figure 3-19. Data Flow Diagram Example...............................................................................................35
Figure 3-20. Access Control for System Components..............................................................................36
Figure 3-21. Two Access Control Mechanisms........................................................................................36
Figure 3-22. TIC Compliant Architecture.................................................................................................44
Figure 3-23. Module Validation Lists ......................................................................................................46

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ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
This document has been developed to provide guidance on how to participate in and understand
the FedRAMP program.
WHO SHOULD USE THIS DOCUMENT?
This document is intended to be used by service CSPs, 3PAOs, government contractors working
on FedRAMP projects, government employees working on FedRAMP projects, and any outside
organizations that want to make use of the FedRAMP assessment process.
HOW THIS DOCUMENT IS ORGANIZED
This document is divided into five sections. Most sections include subsections.
Section 1 provides an introduction and overview of FedRAMP.
Section 2 provides instructions for third-party assessment organizations.
Section 3 provides instructions for cloud service providers on requirements.
Section 4 provides information to cloud service providers on how to maintain their authorization.
Section 5 provides general guidance on document formatting.
CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT
This document uses the following typographical conventions:
Italic
Italics are used for email addresses, security control assignments parameters, and formal
document names.
Italic blue in a box
Italic blue text in a blue box indicates instructions to the individual filling out the template.
Bold
Bold text indicates a parameter or an additional requirement.
Constant width
Constant width text is used for text that is representative of characters that would show up on
a computer screen.
Instruction: This is an instruction to the individual filling out of the template.

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Notes
Notes are found between parallel lines and include additional information that may be helpful
to the users of this template.
Note: This is a note.
Sans Serif
Sans Serif text is used for tables, table captions, figure captions, and table of contents.
Sans Serif Gray
Sans Serif gray text is used for examples.
Tips
Tips include information designed to help simplify the process.
Tip: This is a tip.
HOW TO CONTACT US
If you have questions about FedRAMP or this document, write to:
info@fedramp.gov
For more information about the FedRAMP project, please visit the website at:
http://www.fedramp.gov.

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1. FEDRAMP INTRODUCTION
The FedRAMP program supports the U.S. government’s objective to enable U.S. federal
agencies to use managed service providers that enable cloud computing capabilities. The
program is designed to comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002
(FISMA). This document includes guidance on how cloud service providers can meet FISMA
requirements to obtain a FedRAMP Provisional Authorization.
1.1 APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS
The following laws and regulations are applicable to the FedRAMP program:
 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act [PL 99-474, 18 USC 1030]
 E-Authentication Guidance for Federal Agencies [OMB M-04-04]
 Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002 [Title III, PL 107-347]
 Freedom of Information Act As Amended in 2002 [PL 104-232, 5 USC 552]
 Guidance on Inter-Agency Sharing of Personal Data – Protecting Personal Privacy [OMB
M-01-05]
 Homeland Security Presidential Directive-7, Critical Infrastructure Identification,
Prioritization, and Protection [HSPD-7]
 Internal Control Systems [OMB Circular A-123]
 Management of Federal Information Resources [OMB Circular A-130]
 Management’s Responsibility for Internal Control [OMB Circular A-123, Revised
12/21/2004]
 Privacy Act of 1974 as amended [5 USC 552a]
 Protection of Sensitive Agency Information [OMB M-06-16]
 Records Management by Federal Agencies [44 USC 31]
 Responsibilities for the Maintenance of Records About Individuals by Federal Agencies
[OMB Circular A-108, as amended]
 Security of Federal Automated Information Systems [OMB Circular A-130, Appendix
III]
1.2 APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND GUIDANCE
The following standards and guidance are applicable to the FedRAMP program:
 A NIST Definition of Cloud Computing [NIST SP 800-145]
 Computer Security Incident Handling Guide [NIST SP 800—61, Revision 1]
 Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems [NIST SP 800-34,
Revision 1]
 Engineering Principles for Information Technology Security (A Baseline for Achieving
Security) [NIST SP 800-27, Revision A]
 Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems [NIST SP 800-
53A]
 Guide for Developing Security Plans for Federal Information Systems [NIST SP 800-18,

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Revision 1]
 Guide for Developing the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems:
A Security Life Cycle Approach [NIST SP 800-37, Revision 1]
 Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories
[NISP SP 800-60, Revision 1]
 Guide for Security-Focused Configuration Management of Information Systems [NIST
SP 800-128]
 Information Security Continuous Monitoring for Federal Information Systems and
Organizations [NIST SP 800-137]
 Managing Information Security Risk [NIST SP 800-39]
 Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and Information Systems [FIPS
Publication 200]
 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors [FIPS
Publication 201-1]
 Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems [NIST SP 800-53,
Revision 3]
 Risk Management Guide for Information Technology Systems [NIST SP 800-30]
 Security Considerations in the System Development Life Cycle [NIST SP 800-64,
Revision 2]
 Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules [FIPS Publication 140-2]
 Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems
[FIPS Publication 199]
 Technical Guide to Information Security Testing and Assessment [NIST SP 800-115]
1.3 FEDRAMP GOVERNANCE
FedRAMP is governed by a Joint Authorization Board (JAB) that consists of representatives
from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the General Services Administration (GSA),
and the Department of Defense (DoD). The FedRAMP program is endorsed by the U.S.
government’s CIO Council including the Information Security and Identity Management
Committee (ISIMC). The ISIMC collaborates on identifying high-priority security and identity
management initiatives and developing recommendations for policies, procedures, and standards
to address those initiatives.
1.4 OVERVIEW OF THE FEDRAMP PROCESS
FedRAMP provides a streamlined avenue for U.S. federal agencies to make use of cloud service
provider platforms and offerings. The FedRAMP program provides an avenue for CSPs to obtain
a Provisional Authorization after undergoing a third-party interdependent security assessment
that has been reviewed by the JAB. By assessing security controls on candidate platforms, and
providing Provisional Authorizations on platforms that have acceptable risk, FedRAMP enables
federal agencies to forego the security assessment process for a multitude of known security
controls. An overview of the FedRAMP process is portrayed in Figure 1-1.

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Figure 1-1. FedRAMP Process
The independent assessment is paid for by the CSP and must be performed in accordance with
FedRAMP assessment procedures. CSPs should select a 3PAO from the list of accredited 3PAOs
which is published at the following URL:
http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/131991
When an agency leverages a Provisional Authorization, that agency will still need to address a
subset of security controls within their own agency for the controls not addressed by the
Provisional Authorization. Refer to the use cases in Section 3.10.2 for more information on how
agencies layer security controls on top of cloud services.
After a Provisional Authorization is granted, CSPs must maintain their compliance by
performing a variety of continuous monitoring tasks as described in the FedRAMP Continuous
Monitoring and Strategy Guide.
2. GUIDELINES FOR THIRD-PARTY ASSESSMENT ORGANIZATIONS
3PAOs will need to provide an independent assessment in accordance with the FedRAMP
program guidelines. The intended audience for this section is 3PAOs.

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HOW TO BECOME A 3PAO2.1.
An organization must fill out an application and apply to become an accredited 3PAOs. The
application requires that prospective 3PAOs demonstrate competencies in assessing security
controls. Additionally, prospective 3PAOs must have an operational Quality Management
System in place at their organization and must demonstrate knowledge of standard conformity
assessment processes. See www.fedramp.gov for the application and related materials.
SECURITY TESTING2.2.
It is a goal of the FedRAMP program for all CSP systems to be assessed equally and according to
the same security baseline controls appropriate for the designated sensitivity category. In light of
this objective, templates have been provided to standardize the assessment process. The
templates designed for 3PAOs to fill out are the Security Assessment Test Cases, the Security
Assessment Plan (SAP) template, and the Security Assessment Report (SAR) template.
Security Assessment Plan (SAP) Template2.2.1
The purpose of the SAP template is to describe the security testing plan. You should meet with
the CSP and discuss the test engagement before developing the SAP, and again prior to finalizing
the SAP. If 3PAOs have any questions on security testing they should contact the FedRAMP
ISSO. The 3PAO should submit the final SAP to both the CSP and FedRAMP ISSO prior to
starting to test. The ISSO will review the SAP and give the go ahead to start testing after
obtaining approval from the JAB. The SAP template is available on www.fedramp.gov.
Security Test Test Cases2.2.2
The Security Assessment Test Cases are based on NIST SP 800-53A. There are some FedRAMP
test cases that are above and beyond those found in NIST SP 800-53A. Some of the test cases are
currently unpublished by NIST and are not available on the NIST website where test cases are
published (http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SMA/fisma/assessment-cases.html ).
Security Assessment Report (SAR) Template2.2.3
The Security Assessment Report is the final report written by the 3PAO to detail the independent
security assessment done on the CSP candidate information system. The FedRAMP program
provides a Security Assessment Report template and all 3PAOs are required to use this template
to report their findings. The SAR template is available on www.fedramp.gov.
Running Scans2.2.4
As part of the security testing, automated scans are required. On large implementations, a subset
of all representative hosts and device types should be scanned using full authentication. The
advantage of running scans as fully authenticated privileged users is that the scanner can access
the registry, file attributes, installed packages, and patch levels. Account credentials for the
authenticated scans should use login IDs and user roles that offers the greatest possible privileges
for the system being scanned (e.g. root, administrator).

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The use of non-authenticated scans can assist in vulnerability severity determinations and in
prioritizing remediation efforts since in a non-authenticated scan vulnerabilities are seen from the
point of an attacker/intruder. Non-authenticated scans can be used in addition to fully
authenticated scans if the information from these scans helps to determine the risk exposure.
However, non-authenticated scans are not required by FedRAMP.
3PAOs do not need to run source code scans. However, if a CSP writes original source code that
is built into their service offering, the CSP is required to perform source code scanning to satisfy
control SA-11(1). If the CSP service offering uses CSP developed original code, the 3PAO
should ask the CSP to provide the results of a source code analysis report (from a code analysis
scanner) for the current release.
Tip: An authenticated scan is sometimes referred to as a credentialed scan
or a host-based scan.
All scan results should be sent to the government FedRAMP ISSO at the same time the SAR is
provided. CSP systems must be scanned annually by a 3PAO in order to maintain their
authorization. The scan does not have to be performed by the same 3PAO that performed the
scan previously.
3. GUIDELINES FOR CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDERS
This section is provided to assist CSPs in understanding how to satisfy requirements for the
FedRAMP program. The intended audience for this section is CSP staff.
3.1 BEFORE YOU BEGIN
In prior cloud FISMA compliance projects, certain controls have proven to be challenging for
service providers to meet. Before you decide to initiate a request to participate in FedRAMP, go
through the checklist in Table 3-1 and make sure that you are truly able to meet these
requirements. Consult with your legal team and technical staff (e.g. systems administrators,
database administrators, network engineers etc.) to determine if you have the right controls in
place and have the ability to manage them.
Table 3-1. Preparation Checklist
Checklist Description
1 You havethe ability to process electronic discovery and litigation holds
2 You havethe ability to clearly define and describeyour system boundaries
3 You can identify customer responsibilities and what they must do to implement controls

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Checklist Description
4 Systemprovides identification & 2-factor authentication for network access to privileged accounts
5 Systemprovides identification &2-factor authentication for network access to non-privileged accounts
6 Systemprovides identification &2-factor authentication for local access to privileged accounts
7 You can performcode analysis scans for codewritten in-house (non-COTSproducts)
8 You haveboundary protections with logical and physical isolation of assets
9 You havethe ability to remediate high risk issues within 30 days, medium risk within 90 days
10 You can provide an inventory and configuration build standards for all devices
11 Systemhas safeguardsto preventunauthorized information transfer via shared resources
12 Cryptographic safeguards preserveconfidentiality and integrity of data during transmission
3.2 INITIATING THE PROCESS
Cloud service providers (CSPs) should initiate their desire to participate in FedRAMP by
submitting an FedRAMP Initiation Request form. This is a web based form and is found on the
FedRAMP website. This form advises the FedRAMP Program Management Office (PMO), and
the JAB of the intent to obtain a FedRAMP Provisional Authorization.
Figure 3-1. FedRAMP Initiation Request Form

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On the FedRAMP Initiation Request form, you will need to provide a categorization of your
systems and indicate the information types based upon NIST SP 800-60 V2 guidelines. CSPs
should use the data type sensitivity categorization to select which control baseline to implement
– Low or Moderate. (High sensitivity categorizations are currently not part of the FedRAMP
program.) The FedRAMP PMO will place your FedRAMP Initiation Request form in a queue
and assign a timeframe for processing. You will be notified of a scheduled conference call with
the FedRAMP PMO and the conference call will signify the security assessment process start
and kick-off.
While you are waiting to hear back from the FedRAMP PMO, you should start researching
which 3PAO that you plan on using for the security assessment. FedRAMP accredited 3PAOs are
listed on the FedRAMP website.
3.3 AFTER ACCEPTANCE INTO THE FEDRAMP PROGRAM
After your CSP candidate system has been accepted into the FedRAMP program, there are
certain documents that you will be required to submit. FedRAMP has created templates for these
documents which the CSP should edit and modify based on the security controls implemented in
the candidate system. All templates are available on the FedRAMP website. Guidance on how to
fill out the various templates and how to develop the required documents are described in the
sections that follow.
3.4 FIPS 199 TEMPLATE
The FIPS 199 template exists so that CSPs can categorize and record the sensitivity level of their
candidate system. CSPs should use NIST SP 800-60, Revision 1, Volume 2, to select the
Information Type for their candidate system. IaaS and PaaS providers should select information
types from Section C.3.5 in NIST SP 800-60 Revision 1, Volume 2 and those information types
are noted in Table 3-2. SaaS providers should select information types from the entire list of
possible information types.
Table 3-2. Information Types for IaaS Providers
C.3.5 Information and Technology Management
C.3.5.1 System Development Information Type
C.3.5.2 Lifecycle/Change Management Information Type
C.3.5.3 System Maintenance Information Type
C.3.5.4 IT Infrastructure Maintenance Information Type
C.3.5.5 Information Security Information Type
C.3.5.6 Record Retention Information Type
C.3.5.7 Information Management Information Type
C.3.5.8 System and Network Monitoring Information Type
C.3.5.9 Information Sharing Type
The FIPS 199 analysis should be performed with respect to service provider system data only.
Customer agencies will be performing a separate FIPS 199 analysis for their customer owned
data hosted on the system.

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3.5 E-AUTHENTICATION TEMPLATE
An e-Authentication template has been provided for the purpose of performing an e-
Authentication analysis. The objective for selecting the appropriate e-Authentication level for the
candidate system is so that the CSP system owner can then more easily proceed to select the right
technology solution to implement the designated level. Guidance on selecting the system
authentication technology solution is available in NIST SP 800-63, Revision 1, Electronic
Authentication Guidance.
Note: NIST SP 800-63, Revision 1 can be found at the following URL:
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-63-1/SP-800-63-1.pdf
You should ensure that your final e-Authentication analysis is consistent with Table 2-5 in the
System Security Plan.
Note: Please refer to OMB Memo M-04-04 E-Authentication Guidance for
Federal Agencies for more information on e-Authentication.
The e-Authentication template is available on www.fedramp.gov.
3.6 PRIVACY THRESHOLD ANALYSIS & PRIVACY IMPACT ASSESSMENT
All CSPs are required to fill out a Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA). FedRAMP provides at
PTA/PIA template and the PTA consists of four short questions designed to determine if the
system qualifies as a Privacy Sensitive System. If the result of the PTA qualifies the system as a
Privacy Sensitive System, then a Privacy Impact Assessment is also required.
Note: In accordance with NIST SP 800-144, organizations are ultimately
accountable for the security and privacy of data held by a cloud
provider on their behalf.
CSPs should consider whether or not their security controls (for their own support staff) use PII
for any authentication mechanisms (e.g. fingerprint scanners, hand scanners, iris scanners). If the
CSP system will require PII from agency customers, for example to enroll users in authentication
mechanisms, then the impending collection of that PII on first use by agency customers should
be made known.
When performing the independent security assessment the 3PAO will review the PTA and/or a
PIA and may make certain determinations and findings that are incorporated into the Security
Assessment Report (SAR).

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A combination PTA and PIA template is provided and is available on www.fedramp.gov.
3.7 CTW TEMPLATE
The purpose of the Control Tailoring Workbook (CTW) template is to summarize the exception
scenarios are for the candidate service offering for prospective agency customers. This template
should be filled out after the System Security Plan has been completed and it should be consistent
with information found in the System Security Plan.
The right-hand most column (see Figure 3-2) in the CTW is labeled “Service Provider
Implemented Settings and Exceptions”. In this column CSPs should describe any setting in their
candidate service offering that is different from either the stated Control Parameter Requirements
or the stated Additional Requirements and Guidance. If a parameter or requirement simply does
not exist in the candidate service offering, that should be noted as “not implemented”. If the
candidate service offering uses an alternative or compensating control, that fact should be noted
with a brief explanation of how the alternative control works. If a control does not exist but is
planned for future implementation, that information should be noted along with a brief
explanation of how and when the control will be implemented in the future. For planned
controls, an anticipated implementation date should also be noted. If your CSP candidate system
meets all required security controls, settings, and parameters, the CSP should note “Meets” in the
right-hand most column for the associated control.
Figure 3-2. Screenshot from CTW
The CTW template can be downloaded from www.fedramp.gov.
3.8 CIS TEMPLATE
The Control Implementation Summary (CIS) template should be filled out to indicate the
implementation status of the controls for their candidate system as illustrated in Figure 3-3.

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Figure 3-3. Select the Implementation Status in the CIS
Additionally, CSPs need to indicate in the CIS the entity that owns the responsibility to
implement and manage the control. In some cases, implementation and management of a control
may require joint ownership by the CSP and the customer agency. An example of control
origination selections for three different controls is illustrated in Figure 3-4.
Figure 3-4. Select the Control Origination Responsibility
The CIS is considered a living document and it is okay to update it throughout the development
of the System Security Plan.

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3.9 USER GUIDE
CSPs should also provide a User Guide that explains how prospective users will use the system.
The User Guide should be submitted at the same time the System Security Plan is submitted.
3.10 COMPONENTS, BOUNDARIES, AND ARCHITECTURE
The audience for this section is CSPs; however, 3PAOs may want to review this section to better
understand CSP requirements. The System Security Plan template is designed for you to describe
how all required security controls are implemented.
Describing Information System Components (§ 9.2 SSP)3.10.1
The information system you are describing likely has multiple components to it. Each of those
components needs to be named and described in Section 9.2 of the System Security Plan. You
may want to use component names that are already known to your company. Components may
be described by a unique name (e.g. “Home Base”) or by functionality (e.g. “the Hypervisor”).
For example, your information system platform and offering might consist of components known
as Control Tower, Front Door, Home Base, Builder Box, Holding Vault, App One and Web Wiz
as illustrated in Figure 3-5.
When naming and describing the components, you should be sure that you are consistent in using
these same component names throughout the entirety of your System Security Plan and all of the
FedRAMP documents. You may avoid much confusion within your own organization if you
retain component names that are already known to your organization -- that are already described
in existing company documentation. If you are at any point required to supply supporting
documentation, and the supporting documentation has different component names in it than what
you originally provided to FedRAMP, this will create a lot of confusion and it could delay the
whole FedRAMP security assessment process.
Once the FedRAMP security assessment process has started, if a component has its name
changed for any reason, the Change Control Process (as described in your Configuration
Management Plan) for the information system should capture and include a recorded history of
the name change. Submitting initial documentation with one set of component names, and then
submitting subsequent documents with another set of component names accompanied by an
email that states “We changed the names of our components...” will not be sufficient and could
cause substantial delays in your FedRAMP security assessment.
Tip: Select component names and stick to the original names.

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Figure 3-5. Example of Components Described by Name
Figure 3-4 illustrates software components described by unique names and Figure 3-6 illustrates
software components described by functionality. Regardless of which method you use to
describe your components, you will still need to include a detailed description of the
functionality that each component provides to the overall system.
Figure 3-6. Example of Components Described by Function
Use Cases3.10.2
There are multiple types of cloud configurations that are conceivable. The FedRAMP program
does not endorse or prescribe any particular type of cloud configuration. However, for the
purpose of assisting CSPs in describing the scenario that their cloud configuration represents,
various use case scenarios are illustrated in the sections that follow. The uses cases presented do
not constitute all possible use cases that have the potential of being built. When describing your
system, you may use any of the illustrations presented, or any similar illustrations, if it helps you
to more easily describe your system.

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Note: For more information on cloud use cases, please consult NIST SP
500-293, U.S. Government Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap,
Volume II (Draft).
3.10.2.1 Case 1: Simple IaaS
It’s possible that an agency may want to use one IaaS provider with the intention of having the
top layer controls (platform and application) provided by the agency. In this scenario, one
FedRAMP Provisional Authorization is applicable as illustrated in Figure 3-7.
Figure 3-7. One IaaS Provider
3.10.2.2 Case 2: Simple PaaS
It’s possible that an agency may want to use one provider that provides both the IaaS and PaaS
layers, with the intention of having the top layer controls (application) provided by the agency. In
this scenario, one FedRAMP Provisional Authorization is applicable as illustrated in Figure 3-8.

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Figure 3-8. One Provider for IaaS and PaaS
3.10.2.3 Case 3: Simple SaaS
It’s possible that an agency may want to use one provider that provides the IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
layers. In this scenario, one FedRAMP Provisional Authorization is applicable as illustrated in
Figure 3-9.
Figure 3-9. One Provider, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
3.10.2.4 Case 4: One Provider, Just SaaS
It’s possible that a cloud service provider may build a SaaS application that encompasses the

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entire stack of security controls, but does not differentiate between the PaaS and IaaS layers as
illustrated in Figure 3-10. NIST SP 500-293, Volume II (Draft) states:
It is possible, though not necessary, that SaaS applications can be
built on top of PaaS components, and PaaS components can be built
on top of IaaS components.
Figure 3-10. One Provider, Just SaaS
3.10.2.5 Case 5: Two Cloud Providers, IaaS and PaaS
It’s possible that an agency may want to use one provider that provides IaaS and a different
provider that provides the PaaS layer. In this scenario, the Paas provider is dependent on
leveraging a pre-existing Provisional Authorization – from the IaaS provider. In this scenario, if
the agency decides to make use of this integrated package, two different FedRAMP Provisional
Authorizations are applicable as illustrated in Figure 3-11.

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Figure 3-11. Two Providers, One IaaS and One PaaS
3.10.2.6 Case 6: Three Cloud Providers, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
It’s possible that an agency may want to use three providers that each provide a different layer. In
this scenario, the PaaS provider is dependent on leveraging a pre-existing Provisional
Authorizations from the IaaS provider and the SaaS provider is dependent on leveraging a pre-
existing Provisional Authorization from the PaaS provider (and indirectly the IaaS provider). In
this scenario, if the agency decides to make use of this integrated package, three different
FedRAMP Provisional Authorizations are applicable as illustrated in Figure 3-12.
Figure 3-12. Three Providers, One IaaS, One PaaS, and One SaaS

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3.10.2.7 Case 7: Two Cloud IaaS Providers
It’s possible that an agency may want to make use of two separate IaaS providers with the
intention of having the top layer controls (platform and application) provided completely by the
agency. In this scenario, two different FedRAMP Provisional Authorizations are applicable as
illustrated in Figure 3-13.
Figure 3-13. Two IaaS Providers
3.10.2.8 Case 8: Two Cloud IaaS Providers and a PaaS Provider
It’s possible that a cloud implementation could make use of two separate IaaS providers and a
third separate PaaS provider. In this scenario, the Paas provider is dependent on leveraging two
pre-existing Provisional Authorizations – one from each of the IaaS providers. In this scenario, if
the agency decides to make use of this integrated package, three different FedRAMP Provisional
Authorizations are applicable as illustrated in Figure 3-14.

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Figure 3-14. Two IaaS and One PaaS Provider
When IaaS Provider 1 writes their System Security Plan, they will not indicate that they are
leveraging any other Provisional Authorization. The same holds true for IaaS Provider 2.
However, when the PaaS provider writes their System Security Plan, in Section 8.2 of the System
Security Plan, they should indicate that they are leveraging the Provisional Authorization of both
IaaS Provider 1 and IaaS Provider 2. It is anticipated that the PaaS provider will inherit controls
from both IaaS providers.
3.10.2.9 Case 9: Three Cloud Providers, One IaaS and Two PaaS
It’s possible that a cloud implementation could make use of one IaaS provider and two PaaS
providers. In this scenario, both Paas providers are dependent on leveraging the pre-existing
Provisional Authorizations from the IaaS providers. In this scenario, if the agency decides to
make use of this integrated package, three different FedRAMP Provisional Authorizations are
applicable as illustrated in Figure 3-15.

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Figure 3-15. Three Providers, One IaaS and Two PaaS
Discussing Virtualization3.10.3
This section includes some general guidance on discussing virtualization in System Security
Plans. CSPs use virtualization techniques that create entire systems (virtual machines or guest
hosts) that are embedded inside of a traditional physical host system. There are numerous ways
that virtualization can be implemented and the FedRAMP program does not make
recommendations on virtualization models. There are many different virtualization products and
FedRAMP does not preference one virtualization product over another. Whatever virtualization
architecture model is used, CSP documentation in all aspects should be clear about which
components are part of the physical host system and which components are part of virtual
abstraction layers.
Note: Please refer to NIST SP 800-125, Guide to Security for Full Virtualization
Technologies for information on types of virtualization.
Please refer to NIST SP 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing
for information on cloud computing architecture models.
When discussing the functionality of the different components, indicate whether the component
is a standard host operating system or a guest (virtual) operating system. For each physical host
that provides the capability to implement guest systems, discuss whether the virtualization
technique is based on hosted virtualization or bare metal virtualization.

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Guest operating systems can be deployed in several ways (i) the CSP provides a self-service
menu driven control panel where customers can setup and configure their own virtual machines
within a controlled environment; (ii) the CSP installs and configures unique virtual machines
instances directly for the customer thereby eliminating the need for a self-service portal. When
discussing administration, access control, and configuration settings of virtual machines, CSPs
need to be clear about whether their service offers a self-serve solution or a CSP administered
solution. The roles and authorizations associated with both of these solutions should be detailed
in the System Security Plan (Table 9-1) User Roles and Privileges.
Not considering applications and platforms, network components can also be virtualized. If you
are discussing a network component (or device) that is a virtual component, you need to be clear
about the fact that the item you are discussing is virtual and not physical. Examples of virtual
network components and devices are:
 Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
 Virtual Ethernet Modules
 Virtual Firewalls
 Virtual Switches
 Virtual Distributed Switches
 Virtual Security Gateways
 Virtual Routers
 NAT Virtual Interfaces (NVI)
Discussing Boundaries (§ 9.2 in SSP)3.10.4
When you are describing the boundaries of your system, it is important to accurately articulate
where your cloud service layers begin and end. If you are a PaaS service provider and you are
building your service on top of an IaaS service provider, you need to ensure that your security
control boundaries begin where the IaaS security control boundaries end. If you are SaaS
provider, you need to understand where the PaaS security control boundaries end. The security
controls for an upper layer service needs to begin where the lower layer security controls end as
illustrated in Figure 3-16. There are many possible configurations for layering security and
FedRAMP does not make recommendations on service models.

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Figure 3-16. Security Controls Fitting Together
If parts of a security control boundary are not well understood, it is possible that there could be
gaps in the security control boundary between the layers as illustrated in Figure 3-17.
Figure 3-17. Security Control Gap

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When discussing boundaries, be sure to include information on how different tenants are
separated from each other in a multi-tenant environment.
Questions that you should consider when describing your boundaries are:
 Will your boundaries leverage any existing Provisional Authorizations?
 What is your definition of a tenant?
 For your service offering, will multiple tenants share the same VLAN(s)?
 Are there controls that prevent VLAN hopping?
 Do you isolate virtual machine zones on unique network segments?
 Do you use separate physical network adapters to isolate virtual machine zones?
 Is layer-2 isolation performed?
 Is isolation through traffic encapsulation used?
 Do port groups define any boundaries?
 If port groups are used, are they all in the same layer-2 domain or do they span multiple
layer-2 domains?
 Do you bond multiple Network Interface Cards (NICs) together?
 How do firewalls provide isolation between tenants?
 How do router ACLs provide isolation between tenants?
 Are IPsec tunnels used to define boundaries?
 Are network filters used that control what packets are sent to or from a virtual machine?
 Are network zones used? If yes, how are zones defined?
 Will U.S. federal agencies be multi-tenanted with non-government entities?
 Do you use NAT virtual interfaces (NVI) or domain specific NAT configurations?
 How does NAT play a role in containing network traffic within the boundary?
 What kind of NAT is used? (e.g. static, dynamic, overloading, overlapping)
 Do you use NAT IP pools?
 Are geo iplocation boundaries used?
 How will you know the geographic location (City, State) where customer data is stored?
 Will it be possible for agency customers to know the geographic location (City, State)
where their data is stored?
Tip: NAT can be used to do the following: allow internal users access to the
Internet, allow the Internet to access devices inside the boundary, redirect
TCP traffic to another port or address, allow overlapping networks to
communicate, allow networks with different address schemes to communicate,
allow the use of application level gateways.
3.10.4.1 Discussing Live Migrations
Live migrations of virtual machines have the potential to confuse a common understanding of the
information system boundaries. Therefore, when describing boundaries, it is important to discuss

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the live migration strategy for the information system. Live migrations have the ability to move
an entire virtual machine to another host or instead to move a virtual machine’s data store
(configuration file and virtual disks) to another physical host without actually moving the virtual
machine. Complicating this, it is also possible to move and store a virtual machine’s
configuration files, and disks in separate locations. FedRAMP does not make recommendations
on live migration strategies. However, whatever the live migration strategy is, FedRAMP wants
to understand how live migrations are managed. IP addresses declared within the boundary must
remain protected by the security controls noted in the System Security Plan even if the IP
addresses are move around.
Questions that you should consider in your discussion on live migration are:
 Are live migrations performed manually or are they scheduled and automated?
 If live migrations are automated, what are the rules that govern the migration?
FedRAMP is interested in understanding how virtual machines are monitored and how guest
systems are migrated one from physical host to another. Consider discussing how virtual
machine migration and tracking can be audited through logging and event generation in Section
13.13.2 (AU-2a) of the System Security Plan.
3.10.4.2 Discussing Storage Components
In your description of system components, you should include information about storage
components that are inside the boundary. If you are using a fiber channel storage array, insert a
diagram that shows how the storage connects to the fiber channel fabric and include the switches
in the diagram. An example illustration is shown in Figure 3-18.
Questions that you should consider when describing your storage components are:
 Does the system use Direct Attached Storage (DAS), Network Attached Storage (NAS),
or Storage Area Networks (SANs)?
 If you use a SAN, what is used to connect hosts in a cluster (fiber channel or iSCSI)?
 Which fiber channel or iSCSI connections are considered within the boundary?
 Are different types of storage devices used on different network segments?
 Are clusters used?
 How many hosts are on a cluster and which clusters are in the boundary?
 Do the storage devices use a multipath environment?
 Are the storage devices setup to be persistent or non-persistent?

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Figure 3-18. Example of Storage Array Illustration
Addressing the Data Flow Diagram (§ 10.1.4 in SSP)3.10.5
Section 10.1.4 in the System Security Plan template requires that you include a data flow
diagram of how network traffic flows through your platform and offering. A data flow diagram
focuses more on the direction of the network traffic and less on the actual network topology.
However, certain components of the system’s network topology need to be included in order to
illustrate the direction that the network traffic flows through the system. Figure 3-19 below
shows an example of a data flow diagram.

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Source: FISMA Center
Figure 3-19. Data Flow Diagram Example
3.11 DESCRIBING THE SECURITY CONTROLS IN THE SSP (§ 13 IN SSP)
Section 13 in the System Security Plan template requires that CSPs accurately describe how
security controls are implemented. Your information system and offering likely includes multiple
components. When describing a security control, you will need to describe how the control is
implemented for all components of your system as is illustrated in Figure 3-20. It may be
possible that different services provided by a vendor consist of different components. Some
components may be common across all services but others may be unique to a particular service.
You may describe how a control is implemented based on its named component (Figure 3-5), or
its functional component name (Figure 3-6). It adds clarity to the control description process if
the functional components are aligned with named components however that may not be possible
in all cases.

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Figure 3-20. Access Control for System Components
Tip: If all components are integrated into a centralized single sign-on system,
then the access control process and implementation only needs to be
described once.
FedRAMP allows for flexible implementations, and it is possible that a group of components
collectively use one type of access control mechanism and that the rest of the components use a
different access control mechanisms as illustrated in Figure 3-21.
Figure 3-21. Two Access Control Mechanisms
If multiple access control mechanisms are used for the various system components, when
describing how access controls are implemented, CSPs need to describe all access control
mechanisms and indicate which components use which mechanism.

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Security Control Summary Information3.11.1
Each security control includes a table called Security Control Summary Information as illustrated
in Table 3-3. Security control enhancements also require security control summary information.
Definitions for Control Origination can be found in Table 3-4. For any of the “-1” controls that
describe Policies and Procedures (e.g. AC-1, SC-1 etc.) it is not possible to select Configured by
Customer, Provided by Customer, Shared, or Inherited from pre-existing Provisional
Authorization and this is by design since all organizations need to have their own set of Policies
and Procedures.
Table 3-3. Example of Security Control Summary Information
ControlID ControlSummary Information
Responsible Role:
Parameter:
Implementation Status (check all that apply):
In place
Partially implemented
Planned
Alternative implementation
Not applicable
ControlOrigination (check all that apply):
Service Provider Corporate
Service Provider SystemSpecific
Service Provider Hybrid (Corporate and SystemSpecific)
Configured by Customer (Customer System Specific)
Provided by Customer (Customer System Specific)
Shared (Service Provider and Customer Responsibility)
Inherited frompre-existing Provisional Authorization (PA) for <Information System Name>,<Dateof PA>
In the field described as Responsible Role, the CSP should indicate what staff role within their
organization is responsible for maintaining and implementing that particular security control.
Examples of the types of role names may differ from CSP to CSP but could include role names
such as:
 System Administrator
 Database Administrator
 Network Operations Analyst
 Network Engineer
 Configuration Management Team Lead
 IT Director

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 Firewall Engineer
All controls originate from a system or from a business process. It is important to describe where
the control originates from so that it is clear whose responsibility it is to implement and manage
the control. In some cases, the responsibility is shared by a CSP and by the customer. Since each
service offering is unique, the FedRAMP program cannot provide guidance on which controls
should or should not be defined according to the Control Origination definitions in Table 3-4.
Table 3-4. Control Origination Definitions
Control Origination Definition Example
Service Provider
Corporate
A control that originates from the CSP
corporate network.
DNS from the corporate network
provides address resolution services
for the information system and the
service offering.
Service Provider System
Specific
A control specific to a particular system
at the CSP and the control is not part of
the standard corporate controls.
A unique host based intrusion
detection system (HIDs) is available
on the service offering platform but
is not available on the corporate
network.
Service Provider Hybrid A control that makes use of both
corporate controls and additional
controls specific to a particular system
at the CSP.
There are scans of the corporate
network infrastructure.
Scans of databases and web based
application are system specific.
Configured by Customer A control where the customer needs to
apply a configuration in order to meet
the control requirement.
User profiles, policy/audit
configurations, enabling/disabling
key switches (e.g., enable/disable
http or https, etc.), entering an IP
range specific to their organization
are configurable by the customer.
Provided by Customer A control where the customer needs to
provide additional hardware or
software in order to meet the control
requirement.
The customer provides a SAML SSO
solution, adding in SAML assertions,
to implement two-factor
authentication.
Shared A control that is managed and
implemented partially by the CSP and
partially by the customer.
Both the service provider and the
customer require two-factor
authentication for both privileged
and non-privileged users for
network access.
As of this edition, guidance has been provided for a subset of the security controls. This
document may be updated in the future to include guidance on other security controls.

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Security Control AC-73.11.2
Section 13.1.7(a) in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss the fact that
unsuccessful logins are set to a parameter of 3 or less within a 15 minute period.
Questions that you should consider in your discussion are:
 Is the unsuccessful login parameter configured on a central policy server? What server?
 Is the unsuccessful login parameter configured manually on a server by server basis?
 What tool/function do you use to configure unsuccessful logins?
 Do you use policy templates or a policy manager to configure this parameter?
 Is the unsuccessful login parameter configured the same for all groups and roles of users?
 Is the unsuccessful login parameter configured using different techniques on application
servers, databases, firewalls, routers, and all other components?
 Do you use a single sign-on application that controls unsuccessful login parameters?
 Do you configure unsuccessful login parameters through a GUI or a CLI?
 Do you use any COTS authentication/access control products to configure the
unsuccessful login parameter?
 Can you provide any screenshots that show the configuration of the unsuccessful login
parameter is configured?
 If you are using multiple operating systems do you set this parameter using different
techniques for the different operating systems?
Section 13.1.7(b) in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss how account
lockouts occur when a user has more than 3 unsuccessful login attempts within a 15 minute
period.
Questions that you should consider in your discussion include:
 Are account lockouts configured on all systems that are within the boundary?
 Are account lockouts configured on any customer control panel login mechanisms?
 If a user is locked out, how will they know who to call to have their account reset?
 Will VPNs made available to customers through self-service control panel’s lockout via
the physical system lockout parameters? Or do customers need to configure their own
VPN lockouts separately?
Security Control IA-5(3)3.11.3
Section 13.7.5.1.3 in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss how HSPD12
card registrations are performed in person. If you use smart cards for two-factor authentication,
they must be HSPD12 and registration must take place in person. This control does not mean that
using HSPD12 cards is a requirement for two-factor authentication. If your system does not use
HSPD12 cards, this control is not applicable to your system and is not implemented.

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Security Control PE-2(a)(b)(c)3.11.4
Section 13.11.2 in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss how physical
access authorizations are implemented.
 Is there a list of who has access to the data center?
 Who authorizes access to data center?
 Are there different authorization levels for different physical areas? (e.g. chillers,
electrical substation room, UPS/battery room, generator area)
 Are there different types of authorization credentials? If yes, what are they?
 Are the data center access list and authorization credentials reviewed at least once
annually?
Security Control PE-3(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)3.11.5
Section 13.11.3 in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss how physical
access authorizations are enforced?
 What is used to control access to the data center? (e.g. hand scanner, card key)
 Are there separate access control devices for the electrical substation room, battery room,
chillers, generators?
 What is the make/model of the access control devices?
 If PINs or passwords are used, do they meet the password change requirement frequency?
 How does the access control device verify an individual’s identity?
 Are cages/racks locked?
 Are there guards at the data center entrance?
 Are areas considered publicly accessible areas controlled?
 On what date were physical access control devices were last inventoried?
 On what date were keys and combination locks last changed?
Security Control PE-43.11.6
Section 13.11.4 in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss how access
control for transmission medium is implemented.
 Do wiring closets and patch panels have locks? Who has access?
 Are there exposed telecomm jacks that are not locked?

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 Where does telecomm circuit/Internet connectivity enter the data center?
 Are cables and wires below the floor?
 Are cables and wires in inaccessible (locked) ceiling trays?
Security Control PE-53.11.7
Section 13.11.5 in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss how access
control to display mediums is implemented.
 Are there printers or monitors located in open access areas in the data center?
 Are printers/monitors in the data center password protected?
 Are surveillance cameras pointing at printers and monitors?
 What systems print to printers located in the data center?
 Who can access monitors, printers, fax machines and other output devices in the data
center and who authorizes their access?
Security Control PE-6(a)(b)(c)3.11.8
Section 13.11.6 in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss how monitoriong
of physical access is implemented.
 Are guards located at data center entrances? Are they armed?
 Are balusters outside the data center building near entrance areas?
 Are cameras pointed at data center entrances? What kind of cameras are being used?
 If cameras are being used, how long is recorded media kept for?
 Are hand scanners used to at data center entrances? What make and model are they?
 Are access logs to hand scanners reviewed? If yes, who reviews them?
 Are sign in sheets required at data center entrances? Who reviews these sheets?
 Are card keys required at data center entrances?
 Are access logs to card keys reviewed? If yes, who reviews them?
Security Control PE-6(1)3.11.9
Section 13.11.6.1.1 in the System Security Plan template requires that you discuss how
monitoriong of real-time physical intrusion alarms and surveillance equipment is monitored.
 Is there an alarm system installed at the data center?
 What events will set off the alarm system?

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 Does an outside service provider maintain and manage the alarm system?
 When was the alarm system last tested or inspected?
 Are cameras located inside the data center?
 Does an outside service provider maintain and manage the surveillance cameras?
 When were the cameras last tested or inspected?
Security Control PE-13 (1)(2)(3)3.11.10
Section 13.11.13 in the System Security Plan template requires that you describe fire suppression
security controls. One of the things that you should indicate is whether or not your fire
suppression system complies with NFPA 751
. Indicate if local fire marshals have performed a
recent inspection and what the date is of the last inspection.
 Is there a fire alarm system?
 Do fire alarms get sent to a remote monitoring center?
 How are your alarms activated? (e.g. smoke, heat)
 Where are fire detection devices located?
 Where are fire suppression devices located?
 Is the monitoring and maintenance of the system outsourced to a service provider?
 Are there maintenance records for the fire suppression system?
 Are you using wet pipe, dry pipe, pre-action, or deluge sprinklers?
 Are you using an inert agent fire suppression system?
 Are there fire extinguishers in the data center?
 Where are fire extinguishers located?
 When are fire extinguishers inspected?
 What fire suppression agent do the fire extinguishers use?
Security Control PL (4)3.11.11
Section 13.12.3 in the System Security Plan template requires that CSPs provide Rules of
Behavior for their users. FedRAMP has provided a template for Rules of Behavior which is
available on the FedRAMP website. The template includes two sample sets of Rules of Behavior
– one for Internal Users and one for External Users.
Internal Users are company employees or company contractors.
External Users are customers who will be using the service provider platform.
Before the CSP gives customers access to the service provider platform, CSPs should require
1
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard for the Protection of Information Technology Equipment 75

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their customers to sign the External Rules of Behavior. If the CSP provisions one account to one
customer user (a customer account administrator), who in turn provisions accounts for the all the
other customer users, the CSP only needs to obtain a signed External Rules of Behavior for that
one customer user. That one customer user who provisions accounts for other customer users
inside their respective agency will then become responsible for ensuring that Rules of Behavior
for their agency are signed for the system. The agency customer account administrator should
then determine the appropriate Rules of Behavior for the agency users to sign – but should take
into consideration the rules listed on External Rules of Behavior that was signed and provided to
the CSP.
The general rule of thumb is that if you provision an account to someone else, the person who
provisions the account is responsible for obtaining a signed Rules of Behavior. In some cases the
person provisioning the account might be the CSP, and in some cases the person provisioning the
account might be an agency employee.
The rules provided on the FedRAMP Template are samples and CSPs do not have to use these
specific rules. CSPs should consider what rules apply to the candidate system and edit the
template to describe the rules that are actually required. They can use any of the sample rules, or
replace them completely with other rules. Signed records of the Rules of Behavior should be
retained by the entity that provisions the account. It is acceptable to implement the Rules of
Behavior electronically or on paper, however, agreement to the Rules of Behavior and sign-off
should be obtained before users are granted access to new accounts.
Security Control SA-11(1)3.11.12
Section 13.15.11.1.1 in the System Security Plan template is a control for original source code
development. If the CSP service offering has been developed using original source code, CSPs
need to provide a code analysis report that shows that the latest release was scanned with a code
analysis scanner. Indicate what scanner was used and insert the report into your System Security
Plan for this control. All code analysis reports should be made available to the 3PAO that
performs the testing on the CSP system. If the CSP is not writing any original code, then this
control is not applicable and that should be indicated in the System Security Plan.
Security Control SC-7 (1)3.11.13
Section 13.16.6.1.1 in the System Security Plan template and SC-7(1) references the Trusted
Internet Connection (TIC) initiative. The TIC initiative is mandated by OMB in Memo M-08-
052
. The purpose of putting in place Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) is to reduce and
consolidate and connections to the federal government, including connections to the Internet.
Additionally, data must pass through the TIC to obtain monitoring services from US-CERT.
Currently, there are two categories of TICs as defined and approved by Federal Network Services
2
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/memoranda/fy2008/m08-05.pdf

Page 44
which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS):
 Federal agencies that are approved TIC Access Providers (referred to as TICAPs)
 Networx Managed Trusted IP Service providers with qualified and approved capabilities
(referred to as MTIPS).
For a commercial cloud service provider to comply with SC(7)-1, the CSP must demonstrate an
architecture that allows an agency to provide effective separation of network traffic to meet the
following objectives:
a. All government data, shall be capable of routing through a dedicated logical or physical
network connection.
b. The service shall be capable of excluding co-tenant data, or any other third party data, not
intended for the government from being transmitted through a government network
connection.
c. The service shall be capable of excluding data intended solely for government use from
being routed through an external (non-dedicated) network connection.
Figure 3-22. TIC Compliant Architecture
To accomplish the TIC objectives, there are multiple architectures that CSPs may propose with
an example illustrated in Figure 3-22. The following architectures have been previously
approved by Federal Network Services:
1. CSP routes all Government traffic via VPN back to an agency network.

Page 45
2. CSP routes all government traffic through an agency sponsored MTIPS, no government
traffic is allowed over the public Internet.
3. CSP routes all government traffic through dedicated network connections to an agency
network, no government traffic is allowed over the public Internet.
4. CSP routes by all government traffic through government endpoints, not allowing any
data to traverse any other end-points than agency IP address ranges (effectively all
inbound/outbound traffic routes through government network by proxy or other rules).
It is not possible for a CSP to connect directly to a TICAP. Connection to an MTIPS Provider is
available through the Networx contract but this contract vehicle can only be used by agencies.
Agencies should sponsor the CSP that they want to use, and then use the Networx contract
vehicle to assist the CSP in connecting to the MTIPS Provider. More information about the
Networx contract can be found at the following URL:
http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104870 .
More information on the TIC is available at the following URL:
http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1268754123028.shtm . The TIC Program Office can be
contacted at dhs@tic.gov.
Security Control SC-133.11.14
Section 13.16.12 in the System Security Plan template and SC-13 requires that you discuss where
cryptographic protections are implemented. Cryptographic protections can be used in a multitude
of places on an information system. You should describe what components or devices use
cryptographic protections and how they are implemented.
 Are data partitions encrypted?
 Are swap partitions encrypted?
 Are temporary file systems encrypted?
 Are file systems encrypted?
 Are files encrypted? All files or just some files?
 Are storage devices encrypted?
 Are log files encrypted?
 Are databases encrypted?
 Are hardware encryption modules used?
 Are encrypted logical volumes used?
 Do virtual machines that are not running have their images/templates encrypted?
 Are commercial off-the-shelf encryption products being used? Which ones?
If cryptographic protections are used to protect data in transmission, save that discussion for
Section 13.16.8 in the System Security Plan which is where you describe the control

Page 46
implementation for Transmission Confidentiality SC-9.
Security Control SC-13(1)3.11.15
Section 13.16.12.1.1 in the System Security Plan template and SC-13(1) requires that you
employ FIPS 140-2 cryptography to protect unclassified information. You can find out if the
products that use cryptography on your system have been FIPS 140-2 validated by looking for a
validation certificate for that product on the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP)
website. Click on Module Validation Lists as shown in Figure 3-23 to search for products used by
your system.
Figure 3-23. Module Validation Lists
Validation certifications always apply to a specific product version number. If you patch a
product, the patch disqualifies the FIPS 140-2 validation (even if it makes the product more
secure). If the patch is non-security related, CMVP IG G.8 defines a path for a validation update
that is timely and cost effective (1SUB). CMVP IG G.8 also addresses how such changes can be
re-validated. Please refer to the FIPS 140-2 Standards for more information.

Page 47
Note: FIPS 140-2 Standards can be found at the following URL:
http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/standards.html#02
In some hardware appliances that use a Hardware Security Module (HSM), where the encryption
is performed entirely on the HSM, the validation certificate is listed in the name of the HSM
vendor, and not in the name of the appliance vendor.
Once you have located the validation certificate, you can provide the certificate information in
your System Security Plan by:
 Putting in a URL to the certificate
 Taking a screenshot of the certificate and pasting it in your plan
 Downloading the certificate (.pdf file) and including it with your System Security Plan.
3.12 SECURITY ALERTS & ADVISORIES (SI-5)
Section 15.7.5 in the System Security Plan requires that you discuss how you receive information
system security alerts, advisories, and directives from designated external organizations. One of
these external organizations should be US-CERT. A recommendation is that you receive
advisories from all vendors you are using (e.g. operating system vendors, database vendors,
router vendors etc.).
It is often easiest to send all advisories to one internal list such as advisories@cspname.com or
security@cspname.com. You can then add staff members to those distribution lists as needed.
Keep in mind that this control needs to be auditable. Therefore, you need to be able to show that
advisories are in fact coming in to your company and you need to be able to provide a list of who
is receiving these advisories.
3.13 IT CONTINGENCY PLAN (CP-2)
FedRAMP provides an IT Contingency Plan (ITCP) template that is available on the FedRAMP
website. Please refer to NIST SP 800-34, Revision 1 for assistance in writing your IT
Contingency Plan http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-34-rev1/sp800-34-rev1_errata-
Nov11-2010.pdf.
3.14 BUSINESS IMPACT ANALYSIS (BIA)
The Business Impact Analysis is an Appendix of the IT Contingency Plan. At this time,
FedRAMP does not provide a template for the BIA. Please refer to NIST SP 800-34, Revision 1
for more information on developing a Business Impact Analysis.
3.15 CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT PLAN (CM-9)
The FedRAMP program currently does not provide a template for a Configuration Management

Page 48
Plan. However, each CSP is required to submit a Configuration Management Plan which should
describe how their organization controls change for the information system. The Configuration
Management Plan needs to be able to stand alone since it is possible that the staff that uses the
Configuration Management Plan does not have access to the System Security Plan. The
Configuration Management Plan need to address the Configuration Management (CM) family of
security controls as indicated in the System Security Plan template. A summary of the CM
controls can be found in the Table 3-5.
Table 3-5. Configuration Management Controls
Control
No
Control Name Low Moderate
Delta From
NIST 800-53 r3
CM-1
Configuration Management Policy and
Procedures
CM-1 CM-1 No
CM-2 Baseline Configuration CM-2
CM-2 (1) (3)
(4)
Yes
CM-3 Configuration Change Control Not Selected CM-3 (2) Yes
CM-4 Security Impact Analysis CM-4 CM-4 No
CM-5 Access Restrictions for Change Not Selected CM-5 No
CM-6 Configuration Settings CM-6 CM-6 (3) Yes
CM-7 Least Functionality CM-7 CM-7 (1) Yes
CM-8 Information System Component Inventory CM-8 CM-8 (1) (5) Yes
CM-9 Configuration Management Plan Not Selected CM-9 No
Configuration management nomenclature should be defined in the Configuration Management
Plan as it is used at the CSP. Suggested configuration management nomenclature that is worth
taking into consideration can be found in Table 3-6. FedRAMP allows for flexibility of
development and release nomenclature and the definitions in Table 3-6 may not match the
terminology that your organization is accustomed to using. Please modify the definitions in Table
3-6 to match the nomenclature that you normally use. If you don’t normally use the terminology
found in Table 3-6, but would like to switch to this terminology, please ensure that all of your
supporting documents are updated so that the terminology is consistent across all of your
documentation.
Table 3-6. Configuration Management Nomenclature
Nomenclature Definition
Alpha Release The Alpha phase of the release cycle is the first phase to begin software testing.
Alpha releases can potentially contain stability issues and are not made available
to customers.
Beta Release The Beta phase of the release cycle is a secondary phase to begin software testing
after all features of the code are complete and after bugs found during the Alpha
Release have been fixed.

Page 49
Baseline (1) A specification or product that has been formally reviewed and agreed upon,
that thereafter serves as the basis for further development, and that can be
changed only through formal change control procedures. (2) A document or a set
of such documents formally designated and fixed at a specific time during the life
cycle of a configuration item. (3) Any agreement or result designated and fixed at
a given time, from which changes require justification and approval.
(IEEE Std. 610-12-1990). A baseline is configuration identification formally
designated and applicable at a specific point in the life cycle of a configuration
item.
Build An operational version of a system or component that incorporates a specified
subset of the capabilities that the final product will provide. (IEEE Std. 610-12-
1990)
Configuration (or
Change) Control
Board (CCB)
A group of people responsible for evaluating and approving or disapproving
proposed changes to configuration items, and for ensuring implementation of
approved changes. (IEEE Std. 610-12-1990)
Change Request A request from either an internal or an external customer to make a change to a
baseline configuration. Change requests can be related to either software releases
or to network components such as server or workstation configurations or to any
other network infrastructure component.
Configuration
Control
An element of CM, consisting of the evaluation, coordination, approval or
disapproval, and implementation of changes to configuration items after formal
establishment of their configuration identification. (IEEE Std. 610-12-1990)
Configuration Item An identifiable part of a system that is a discrete target of configuration control
processes. (NIST SP 800-128)
Configuration
Management
A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to
identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a
configuration item, control changes to those characteristics, record and report
change processing and implementation status, and verify compliance with
specified requirements. (IEEE Std. 610-12-1990)
Release A software build that has been thoroughly tested and made available to
customers.
Hardware Baseline A current and comprehensive baseline inventory of all hardware (HW) (to include
manufacturer, type, model, physical location and network topology or
architecture) required to support <Information System Name> operations is
maintained by the Configuration Control Board (CCB) and is part of the Hardware
and Software Inventory. A backup copy of the inventory is stored in a fire-rated
container located or otherwise not collocated with the original.
Software Baseline A current and comprehensive baseline inventory of all software that includes
manufacturer, type, and version and installation manuals and procedures. A
backup copy of the inventory is stored in a fire-rated container or otherwise not
collocated with the original.

Page 50
Version Each software build is assigned a version number. The version number is used as a
mechanism for differentiating one build from another. Version numbers are used
regardless of whether or not a build is ultimately released.
Note: NIST SP 800-128, Guide for Security-Focused Configuration
Management of Information Systems can be found at the following URL:
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-128/sp800-128.pdf
When there is a major change to your system, you are required to update certain artifacts and
new security testing may be required on all of your controls or a subset of your controls. If you
have a major change to your system planned, please notify your FedRAMP ISSO in advance of
the change giving as much advanced notice as possible. The nomenclature such as that found in
Table 4-3 should be taken into consideration when you implement a major change to your
system.
Within your Configuration Management Plan, you are required to describe the change
management process that you use to implement changes (CM-3). Your change management
process should indicate if the change is a major change, a standard change, or an emergency
change (CM-3a). You are welcome to add other change types according to your organizational
needs.
A major change includes (but is not limited to):
 Changing your authentication or access control implementation
 Changing your storage implementation
 Implementing a new code release of your code
 Changing your backup mechanisms and process
 Changing your IaaS provider (if you are a PaaS or SaaS provider)
 Adding new interconnections to outside service providers
 Changing an alternate (or compensating) control
 Removing security controls
 An addition or change to functionality or services
 A change in the system boundary definition (e.g. adding new data center
 A change to the account provisioning process
The following types of changes should always be handled through your standard Configuration
Management change control process:
 Changing a COTS product implemented in your system to another vendor or product
 Changing a product that delivers like functionality (e.g. a scanner, a firewall)
 Any change related to patch management
 A configuration change

Page 51
 Adding or changing a firewall rule or a router ACL
 Emergency change
3.16 INCIDENT RESPONSE PLAN (IR-8)
Security 13.8.8 in the System Security Plan template requires that you develop an Incident
Response Plan. FedRAMP currently does not provide a template for an Incident Response Plan.
Nonetheless, each CSP is required to submit an Incident Response Plan which should describe
how they manage security incidents for the system. The Incident Response Plan needs to address
the Incident Response (IR) family of security controls as indicated in the System Security Plan
template. A summary of the IR controls is found in Table 3-7. The Incident Response Plan (IR-8)
for the system should include information that provides descriptions of how IR-1 through IR-7
are implemented.
Table 3-7. Incident Response Controls
Control
No
Control Name Low Moderate
Delta From
NIST 800-53 r3
IR-1 Incident Response Policy and Procedures IR-1 IR-1 No
IR-2 Incident Response Training IR-2 IR-2 No
IR-3 Incident Response Testing & Exercises Not Selected IR-3 Yes
IR-4 Incident Handling IR-4 IR-4 (1) Yes
IR-5 Incident Monitoring IR-5 IR-5 No
IR-6 Incident Reporting IR-6 IR-6 (1) No
IR-7 Incident Response Assistance IR-7 IR-7 (1) (2) Yes
IR-8 Incident Response Plan IR-8 IR-8 Yes
The purpose of the Incident Response Plan is to have a plan to use in the event of a security or
privacy incident, or any other incident that may affect operations of the system (e.g. incidents
related to power outages, natural disasters). The staff that may need to use the Incident Response
Plan may not have access to the System Security Plan. Therefore, the Incident Response Plan
should be able to stand alone. It is important to make sure that incident response roles and
responsibilities are well defined and articulated in the Incident Response Plan.
Questions that you should consider in your discussion on IR-8, part (a) include:
 Are incident roles and responsibilities defined?
 Who is responsible for incident response planning?
 Are there clear lines of reporting related to incidents?
 Are incident types defined?
 When was the Incident Response Plan last reviewed and who approved it?
 How does incident response fit into the overall Information Security Program?

Page 52
 Do you track how many incidents occur each month/year?
 Do you track what types of incidents are most prevalent?
 Do you track the average time it takes to close an incident?
Questions that you should consider in your discussion on IR-8, part (b) include:
 To whom has the Incident Response Plan been distributed to in your organization?
 Does the Incident Response Plan indicate that designated FedRAMP personnel should be
included in the distribution?
Questions that you should consider in your discussion on IR-8, part (c) include:
 How often is the Incident Response Plan reviewed?
 When was the Incident Response Plan last reviewed?
Questions that you should consider in your discussion on IR-8, part (d) include:
 Does the Incident Response Plan include a document history to record changes?
 Who is responsible for updating the plan with revisions?
 Were any revisions made after the last testing exercise?
Questions that you should consider in your discussion on IR-8, part (e) include:
 If there is a change to incident response procedures or policies who is notified?
 Is there an organizational contact list included for the incident response team members?
 Are role names listed for the individuals identified in the contact list?
Additional FedRAMP requirements for IR-8(b) and IR-8(e) require that you include FedRAMP
points of contact in your incident response plan. Please obtain FedRAMP points of contact from
your designated FedRAMP ISSO.
When you contract with customer agencies to use your cloud service platform, you will need to
obtain points of contact from each customer agency on who to notify at the agency in the event
of a security incident. Please insert a copy of Table 3-8 into your Incident Response Plan and fill
it out as you contract with new customers. One of the points of contact should be the agency
CSIRC3
. You should list the points of contact in the order in which the agency has specified.
Your Incident Response Plan is required to be updated no less than once annually. At the time of
the annual update, you should contact your customer agency and make sure that each of the
phone numbers and POCs listed are still accurate.
Security Control IR-23.11.16
Section 13.8.2 in the System Security Plan requires that you describe how personnel are trained
3
Computer Security Incident Response Center

Page 53
in incident response for the system.
Question that you should consider in your discussion include:
 What roles are trained? (e.g. database administrator, systems administrator)
 On what date did the last training occur?
 When will the next training take place?
 Where did the training take place and was it online or in person?
 Is there a participant/attendance list of who participated in the last training?
 Who is responsible for ensuring the training takes place?
Section 13.8.3 in the System Security Plan requires that you perform an annual incident response
test/exercise.
 What roles participate in the incident response test/exercise?
 On what date did the last test/exercise occur?
 When will the next test/exercise occur?
 Where did the test/exercise occur?
 Is there a participant list of who participated in the last text/exercise?
 Who is responsible for leading the test exercise?
 Who is responsible for writing the test plan that must be submitted to FedRAMP
annually?
Section 13.8.6.5 in the System Security Plan requires that you describe your incident handling
capability.
Questions that you should consider for part (a) include:
 How do you prepare for incidents?
 Who should agency customers call if they suspect an incident?
 Is there an incident hotline or phone number published where customers can see it?
 What capability do you have to detect incidents?
 If you suspect an incident how do you verify if it really is an incident?
 What methods do you use to analyze confirmed incidents?
 What methods do you use to contain incidents?
 What methods do you use to eradicate incidents?
 What is your process for determining that the system has recovered from the incident?
Questions that you should consider for part (b) include:

Page 54
 Which incident handling activities are coordinated with contingency planning activities?
 How does the coordination take place?
 Which incident handling activities are coordinated with contingency planning activities?
Questions that you should consider for part (c) include:
 Who maintains archives of lessons learned regarding incidents?
 How do you determine which incidents require a lessons learned report?
 How soon after an incident is closed will the lessons learned report be published?
 Who is responsible for integrating lessons learned into procedures, training, and
test/exercises?
Questions that you should consider in your discussion for the additional FedRAMP requirements
and guidance for IR-4 include:
 What personnel security requirements are required of individuals who perform incident
handling?
Security Control IR-4(1)3.11.19
Section 13.8.4.1.1 in the System Security Plan template requires that you describe the automated
mechanisms for incident handling?
 Is there any sort of online workflow tool used for managing incidents?
 Are there any automated alerts related to incidents?
 Are there any automated programs, scripts, or applications that look for incidents or
suspicious activities?
Section 13.8.5 in the System Security Plan template requires that you describe how security
incidents are tracked and documented.
 What mechanism is used to record and track information about incidents?
 Do you have an incident reporting and tracking form?
 Is the incident reporting form online on your intranet? Where?
 Is the incident reporting form a .pdf file?
 Can you insert a blank copy of the incident reporting form?

Page 55
 Is there a place on the incident reporting form to indicate if PII4
has been compromised?
 Who is responsible for ensuring that incidents are documented internally?
 Who will be the FedRAMP point of contact for incidents?
 Who will be the point of contact for customer agencies
 Is there a flow chart to show how decisions about incident escalation are made?
Section 13.8.6 in the System Security Plan template requires that you describe incident reporting
capabilities.
Questions you should consider in your discussion for part (a) include:
 What notification timeframes are built into your incident reporting process?
 Do your reporting timeframes line up with Table J-1 in NIST SP 800-61, Revision 1?
Questions that you should consider in your discussion for part (b) include:
 Who will ensure that incident reporting timeframes are adhered to?
 Who at your company determines if law enforcement should be notified?
 What decisions need to be made before law enforcement is notified?
 Do you have the contact information for all of your agency customers?
Additionally, see Section 3.12 in this document for more information on incident reporting part
(b).
Table 3-8 should be inserted in the section related to incident reporting (IR-6). As CSPs contract
with new customers, agency contact information should be recorded in this table. In the event of
a security incident, the CSP should contact all agency customers using their system as well as the
FedRAMP ISSO.
Table 3-8. Agency Points of Contact to Report Incidents
Agency Name Point of Contact Phone Email
<Agency Name>
1.
1. Primary:
2. Alternate:
2.
1. Primary:
2. Alternate:
3. CSIRC
<Agency Name> 1.
1. Primary:
2. Alternate:
4
Personally Identifiable Information

Page 56
Agency Name Point of Contact Phone Email
2.
1.Primary:
2. Alternate:
3. CSIRC
Section 13.8.6.1.1 in the System Security Plan template requires that you describe automated
mechanisms to assist in the reporting of security incidents.
 Is there an online Incident Reporting Form that is available to your staff?
 Is there an online Incident Reporting Form that is available to your customers?
 Are there any apps for Incident Reporting?
Section 13.8.7 in the System Security Plan template requires that you provide incident response
assistance and resources for users.
 Have you identified incident response experts within your own organization?
 Do you have an internal Intranet page or wiki that includes helpful information for users
about security incidents and reporting?
Section 13.8.7.1.1 in the System Security Plan template requires that you provide mechanisms to
increase the availability of incident response related information and support.
 Is there an incident reporting phone number that is available 24 x 7 x 365?
 Is there an internal web page or wiki with incident reporting information that has high-
availability mechanisms built into it?
 Do you have contact information for at least one outside vendor that specializes in
incident response?
 Do you have any contracts with outside vendors to provide incident response?

Page 57
Section 13.8.7.1.2 in the System Security Plan template requires that you describe incident
response capabilities that extend beyond your own organization.
Part (a) requires that you establish a direct, cooperative relationship between your incident
response capabilities and external providers of information system protection.
Questions that you should consider in your discussion for part (a) include:
 Have you documented the process on how to contact your vendors if you suspect a
security vulnerability in a COTS product?
 Does your organization receive patch update information from all of your different
vendors? Who receives information on the latest patches?
 Does your organization receive advisories from US-CERT? Who receives the advisories?
Part (b) requires that you provide your internal incident contact information to external
providers.
Questions that you should consider in your discussion for part (b) include:
 What are the incident points of contact available to agency customers?
 Do your Internet providers have your internal points of contact for incidents?
 Do your telecom providers have your internal points of contact for incidents?
 If you use an external IaaS or PaaS vendor, does that vendor have your internal incident
response POCs?
3.17 POA&M TEMPLATE
CSPs should leverage the Security Assessment Report to put together a Plan of Action &
Milestones (POA&M) for mitigating security weaknesses. FedRAMP provides a POA&M
template for CSPs which is available on the FedRAMP website. All High and Moderate findings
from the Security Assessment Report should be mapped into the POA&M. High impact
vulnerabilities need to be mitigated within 30 days, and Moderate impact vulnerabilities need to
be mitigated within 90 days.
4. INSTRUCTIONS FOR CSPS ON MAINTAINING THE AUTHORIZATION
4.1 ONGOING ASSESSMENT AND CONTINUOUS MONITORING
OMB Circular A-130 Appendix III requires that security controls in information systems be
reviewed at least every three years or when there are significant modifications to the system. The
scope and frequency of the review should be commensurate with the acceptable level of risk for
the system.

Page 58
Note: You can find OMB Circular A-130 Appendix III at the following URL:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a130_a130appendix_iii
The FedRAMP program provides a Continuous Monitoring Strategy & Guide to provide
instructions on the continuous monitoring process. Please refer to that guide for more
information on continuous monitoring.
5. GENERAL DOCUMENTATION INFORMATION FOR CSP
5.1 FORMATTING AND SECTION NUMBERS
The templates that are provided by the FedRAMP program are provided to simplify the security
assessment process and to enable CSPs to move through the assessment process as quickly as
possible. You are allowed to make modifications to the templates as long as you don’t remove
any required sections. While the templates have been designed to capture the FedRAMP
requirements, if adding new sections enables you to better describe your information system, it is
acceptable to do that. Note that if you add new sections, the section numbering will change and
some of the guidance found in this document refers to document section numbers. Therefore,
changing the document section numbers might make it more difficult for you to use this
document as a guide.
5.2 SENSITIVITY MARKINGS
Ensure that all documents have sensitivity markings on at least the cover page and the footer of
each document. You may change the existing sensitivity marking on any template to match your
official company sensitivity nomenclature if it is different than what is on the template.
Optionally, you may also put your sensitivity markings on the headers of any documents and on
any other places in the documents where you feel sensitivity markings should be placed. Any
documents that do not have sensitivity markings on them could possibly be subject to a Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA) request.
5.3 ITEMS THAT ARE NOT APPLICABLE
If you feel that a particular control requirement is not applicable to your system, do not leave the
section in the template blank and do not delete that section. Simply write “Not Applicable” in
that section. Be prepared to justify why any requirement is not applicable.

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