PE-19 Information Leakage
High-Level Description
Family: Physical and Environmental Protection (PE)
Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
Information leakage is the intentional or unintentional release of data or information to an untrusted environment from electromagnetic signals emanations. The security categories or classifications of systems (with respect to confidentiality), organizational security policies, and risk tolerance guide the selection of controls employed to protect systems against information leakage due to electromagnetic signals emanations.
What to Check
How to Test
Step 1: Review Documentation
Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for PE-19 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
Protect the system from information leakage due to electromagnetic signals emanations.
Implementation Guidance
Information leakage is the intentional or unintentional release of data or information to an untrusted environment from electromagnetic signals emanations. The security categories or classifications of systems (with respect to confidentiality), organizational security policies, and risk tolerance guide the selection of controls employed to protect systems against information leakage due to electromagnetic signals emanations.
Risk Assessment
| Finding | Severity | Impact |
|---|
| PE-19 Information Leakage not implemented | Medium | Physical and Environmental Protection |
| PE-19 partially implemented | Low | Incomplete Physical and Environmental Protection |
CWE Categories
| CWE ID | Title |
|---|
| N/A | No direct CWE mapping |
References
Checklist
