CM-5(4) Dual Authorization
Enhancement of: CM-5
High-Level Description
Family: Configuration Management (CM)
Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
Organizations employ dual authorization to help ensure that any changes to selected system components and information cannot occur unless two qualified individuals approve and implement such changes. The two individuals possess the skills and expertise to determine if the proposed changes are correct implementations of approved changes. The individuals are also accountable for the changes. Dual authorization may also be known as two-person control. To reduce the risk of collusion, organizations consider rotating dual authorization duties to other individuals. System-level information includes operational procedures.
What to Check
How to Test
Step 1: Review Documentation
Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for CM-5(4) 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 configuration baselines | cloud_audit_config |
| AWS CLI | Review Config rules | aws configservice describe-config-rules |
Remediation Guide
Control Statement
Enforce dual authorization for implementing changes to [organization-defined].
Implementation Guidance
Organizations employ dual authorization to help ensure that any changes to selected system components and information cannot occur unless two qualified individuals approve and implement such changes. The two individuals possess the skills and expertise to determine if the proposed changes are correct implementations of approved changes. The individuals are also accountable for the changes. Dual authorization may also be known as two-person control. To reduce the risk of collusion, organizations consider rotating dual authorization duties to other individuals. System-level information includes operational procedures.
Risk Assessment
| Finding | Severity | Impact |
|---|
| CM-5(4) Dual Authorization not implemented | Medium | Configuration Management |
| CM-5(4) partially implemented | Low | Incomplete Configuration Management |
CWE Categories
| CWE ID | Title |
|---|
| CWE-16 | Configuration |
References
Checklist
