au-5-5-alternate-audit-logging-capability

name	AU-5(5)_alternate-audit-logging-capability
description	Provide an alternate audit logging capability in the event of a failure in primary audit logging capability that implements [organization-defined].
category	information-gathering
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","au-5-5","au","enhancement"]
tech_stack	["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-778"]
chains_with	["AU-9"]
prerequisites	["AU-5"]
severity_boost	{"AU-9":"Chain with AU-9 for comprehensive security coverage"}

AU-5(5) Alternate Audit Logging Capability

Enhancement of: AU-5

High-Level Description

Family: Audit and Accountability (AU) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Since an alternate audit logging capability may be a short-term protection solution employed until the failure in the primary audit logging capability is corrected, organizations may determine that the alternate audit logging capability need only provide a subset of the primary audit logging functionality that is impacted by the failure.

What to Check

• Verify AU-5(5) Alternate Audit Logging Capability is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AU-5(5)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AU-5

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AU-5(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 logging configuration	cloud_audit_logging
AWS CLI	Review CloudTrail/CloudWatch	aws cloudtrail describe-trails

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Provide an alternate audit logging capability in the event of a failure in primary audit logging capability that implements [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Since an alternate audit logging capability may be a short-term protection solution employed until the failure in the primary audit logging capability is corrected, organizations may determine that the alternate audit logging capability need only provide a subset of the primary audit logging functionality that is impacted by the failure.