| name | SC-5_denial-of-service-protection |
| description | [organization-defined] the effects of the following types of denial-of-service events: [organization-defined] ; |
| category | configuration |
| version | 5.2.0 |
| author | cyberstrike-official |
| tags | ["nist","sp800-53","rev5","sc-5","sc"] |
| tech_stack | ["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows","network"] |
| cwe_ids | ["CWE-311"] |
| chains_with | ["CP-2","IR-4","SC-6","SC-7","SC-40"] |
| prerequisites | [] |
| severity_boost | {"CP-2":"Chain with CP-2 for comprehensive security coverage","IR-4":"Chain with IR-4 for comprehensive security coverage","SC-6":"Chain with SC-6 for comprehensive security coverage"} |
SC-5 Denial-of-service Protection
High-Level Description
Family: System and Communications Protection (SC)
Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
Denial-of-service events may occur due to a variety of internal and external causes, such as an attack by an adversary or a lack of planning to support organizational needs with respect to capacity and bandwidth. Such attacks can occur across a wide range of network protocols (e.g., IPv4, IPv6). A variety of technologies are available to limit or eliminate the origination and effects of denial-of-service events. For example, boundary protection devices can filter certain types of packets to protect system components on internal networks from being directly affected by or the source of denial-of-service attacks. Employing increased network capacity and bandwidth combined with service redundancy also reduces the susceptibility to denial-of-service events.
What to Check
How to Test
Step 1: Review Documentation
Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SC-5 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 encryption and network controls | cloud_audit_encryption |
| nmap | Network scanning | nmap -sV --script ssl-enum-ciphers |
Remediation Guide
Control Statement
[organization-defined] the effects of the following types of denial-of-service events: [organization-defined] ; and
Employ the following controls to achieve the denial-of-service objective: [organization-defined].
