sc-17-public-key-infrastructure-certificates

name	SC-17_public-key-infrastructure-certificates
description	Issue public key certificates under an [organization-defined] or obtain public key certificates from an approved service provider;
category	configuration
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","sc-17","sc"]
tech_stack	["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows","network"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-311"]
chains_with	["AU-10","IA-5","SC-12"]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{"AU-10":"Chain with AU-10 for comprehensive security coverage","IA-5":"Chain with IA-5 for comprehensive security coverage","SC-12":"Chain with SC-12 for comprehensive security coverage"}

SC-17 Public Key Infrastructure Certificates

High-Level Description

Family: System and Communications Protection (SC) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates are certificates with visibility external to organizational systems and certificates related to the internal operations of systems, such as application-specific time services. In cryptographic systems with a hierarchical structure, a trust anchor is an authoritative source (i.e., a certificate authority) for which trust is assumed and not derived. A root certificate for a PKI system is an example of a trust anchor. A trust store or certificate store maintains a list of trusted root certificates.

What to Check

• Verify SC-17 Public Key Infrastructure Certificates is documented in SSP
• Validate all 2 control requirements are implemented
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for SC-17

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SC-17 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 encryption and network controls	cloud_audit_encryption
nmap	Network scanning	nmap -sV --script ssl-enum-ciphers

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Issue public key certificates under an [organization-defined] or obtain public key certificates from an approved service provider; and Include only approved trust anchors in trust stores or certificate stores managed by the organization.

Implementation Guidance