au-14-1-system-start-up

name	AU-14(1)_system-start-up
description	Initiate session audits automatically at system start-up.
category	information-gathering
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","au-14-1","au","enhancement"]
tech_stack	["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-778"]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	["AU-14"]
severity_boost	{}

AU-14(1) System Start-up

Enhancement of: AU-14

High-Level Description

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

The automatic initiation of session audits at startup helps to ensure that the information being captured on selected individuals is complete and not subject to compromise through tampering by malicious threat actors.

What to Check

• Verify AU-14(1) System Start-up is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AU-14(1)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AU-14

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AU-14(1) 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

Initiate session audits automatically at system start-up.

Implementation Guidance

The automatic initiation of session audits at startup helps to ensure that the information being captured on selected individuals is complete and not subject to compromise through tampering by malicious threat actors.

Risk Assessment

Finding	Severity	Impact