sa-4-12-data-ownership

name	SA-4(12)_data-ownership
description	Include organizational data ownership requirements in the acquisition contract;
category	configuration
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","sa-4-12","sa","enhancement"]
tech_stack	["any"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-16"]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	["SA-4"]
severity_boost	{}

SA-4(12) Data Ownership

Enhancement of: SA-4

High-Level Description

Family: System and Services Acquisition (SA) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Contractors who operate a system that contains data owned by an organization initiating the contract have policies and procedures in place to remove the data from their systems and/or return the data in a time frame defined by the contract.

What to Check

• Verify SA-4(12) Data Ownership is documented in SSP
• Validate all 2 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for SA-4(12)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control SA-4

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SA-4(12) 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

Include organizational data ownership requirements in the acquisition contract; and Require all data to be removed from the contractor’s system and returned to the organization within [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Contractors who operate a system that contains data owned by an organization initiating the contract have policies and procedures in place to remove the data from their systems and/or return the data in a time frame defined by the contract.

Risk Assessment