| name | SA-17(1)_formal-policy-model |
| description | Require the developer of the system, system component, or system service to: Produce, as an integral part of the development process, a formal policy |
| category | configuration |
| version | 5.2.0 |
| author | cyberstrike-official |
| tags | ["nist","sp800-53","rev5","sa-17-1","sa","enhancement"] |
| tech_stack | ["any"] |
| cwe_ids | ["CWE-16"] |
| chains_with | ["AC-3","AC-4","AC-25"] |
| prerequisites | ["SA-17"] |
| severity_boost | {"AC-3":"Chain with AC-3 for comprehensive security coverage","AC-4":"Chain with AC-4 for comprehensive security coverage","AC-25":"Chain with AC-25 for comprehensive security coverage"} |
SA-17(1) Formal Policy Model
Enhancement of: SA-17
High-Level Description
Family: System and Services Acquisition (SA)
Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
Formal models describe specific behaviors or security and privacy policies using formal languages, thus enabling the correctness of those behaviors and policies to be formally proven. Not all components of systems can be modeled. Generally, formal specifications are scoped to the behaviors or policies of interest, such as nondiscretionary access control policies. Organizations choose the formal modeling language and approach based on the nature of the behaviors and policies to be described and the available tools.
What to Check
How to Test
Step 1: Review Documentation
Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SA-17(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 |
|---|
| Manual Review | Documentation and interview-based | N/A |
Remediation Guide
Control Statement
Require the developer of the system, system component, or system service to:
Produce, as an integral part of the development process, a formal policy model describing the [organization-defined] to be enforced; and
Prove that the formal policy model is internally consistent and sufficient to enforce the defined elements of the organizational security and privacy policy when implemented.
