au-9-protection-of-audit-information

name	AU-9_protection-of-audit-information
description	Protect audit information and audit logging tools from unauthorized access, modification, and deletion;
category	information-gathering
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","au-9","au"]
tech_stack	["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-778"]
chains_with	["AC-3","AC-6","AU-6","AU-11","AU-14","AU-15","MP-2","MP-4","PE-2","PE-3"]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{"AC-3":"Chain with AC-3 for comprehensive security coverage","AC-6":"Chain with AC-6 for comprehensive security coverage","AU-6":"Chain with AU-6 for comprehensive security coverage"}

AU-9 Protection of Audit Information

High-Level Description

Family: Audit and Accountability (AU) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Audit information includes all information needed to successfully audit system activity, such as audit records, audit log settings, audit reports, and personally identifiable information. Audit logging tools are those programs and devices used to conduct system audit and logging activities. Protection of audit information focuses on technical protection and limits the ability to access and execute audit logging tools to authorized individuals. Physical protection of audit information is addressed by both media protection controls and physical and environmental protection controls.

What to Check

• Verify AU-9 Protection of Audit Information is documented in SSP
• Validate all 2 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AU-9

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AU-9 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 logging configuration	cloud_audit_logging
AWS CLI	Review CloudTrail/CloudWatch	aws cloudtrail describe-trails

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Protect audit information and audit logging tools from unauthorized access, modification, and deletion; and Alert [organization-defined] upon detection of unauthorized access, modification, or deletion of audit information.

Implementation Guidance