ac-2-7-privileged-user-accounts

name	AC-2(7)_privileged-user-accounts
description	Establish and administer privileged user accounts in accordance with [organization-defined];
category	authorization
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","ac-2-7","ac","enhancement"]
tech_stack	["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-284"]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	["AC-2"]
severity_boost	{}

AC-2(7) Privileged User Accounts

Enhancement of: AC-2

High-Level Description

Family: Access Control (AC) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Privileged roles are organization-defined roles assigned to individuals that allow those individuals to perform certain security-relevant functions that ordinary users are not authorized to perform. Privileged roles include key management, account management, database administration, system and network administration, and web administration. A role-based access scheme organizes permitted system access and privileges into roles. In contrast, an attribute-based access scheme specifies allowed system access and privileges based on attributes.

What to Check

• Verify AC-2(7) Privileged User Accounts is documented in SSP
• Validate all 4 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AC-2(7)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AC-2

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AC-2(7) implementation details. Verify the organization has documented how this control is satisfied.

Step 2: Validate Implementation

# For cloud environments, use cloud-audit-mcp tools
# For on-premises, review system configurations directly

# Example: Check if account management policies exist
grep -r "account.management\|access.control" /etc/security/ 2>/dev/null

Step 3: Test Operating Effectiveness

Verify the control is actively functioning, not just documented. Check logs, configurations, and operational evidence.

Tools

Tool	Purpose	Usage
cloud-audit-mcp	Check IAM policies and access controls	cloud_audit_iam_policies
hackbrowser-mcp	Test web application access controls	browser_auth_test

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Establish and administer privileged user accounts in accordance with [organization-defined]; Monitor privileged role or attribute assignments; Monitor changes to roles or attributes; and Revoke access when privileged role or attribute assignments are no longer appropriate.