ac-3-15-discretionary-and-mandatory-access-control

name	AC-3(15)_discretionary-and-mandatory-access-control
description	Enforce [organization-defined] over the set of covered subjects and objects specified in the policy;
category	authorization
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","ac-3-15","ac","enhancement"]
tech_stack	["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-284"]
chains_with	["SC-2","SC-3","AC-4"]
prerequisites	["AC-3"]
severity_boost	{"SC-2":"Chain with SC-2 for comprehensive security coverage","SC-3":"Chain with SC-3 for comprehensive security coverage","AC-4":"Chain with AC-4 for comprehensive security coverage"}

AC-3(15) Discretionary and Mandatory Access Control

Enhancement of: AC-3

High-Level Description

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

Simultaneously implementing a mandatory access control policy and a discretionary access control policy can provide additional protection against the unauthorized execution of code by users or processes acting on behalf of users. This helps prevent a single compromised user or process from compromising the entire system.

What to Check

• Verify AC-3(15) Discretionary and Mandatory Access Control is documented in SSP
• Validate all 2 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AC-3(15)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AC-3

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AC-3(15) 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

Enforce [organization-defined] over the set of covered subjects and objects specified in the policy; and Enforce [organization-defined] over the set of covered subjects and objects specified in the policy.

Implementation Guidance