SI-7(12) Integrity Verification
Enhancement of: SI-7
High-Level Description
Family: System and Information Integrity (SI)
Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
Organizations verify the integrity of user-installed software prior to execution to reduce the likelihood of executing malicious code or programs that contains errors from unauthorized modifications. Organizations consider the source of the software, ensuring the software and updates come from authorized sources and/or sites, and the practicality of approaches to verifying software integrity, including the availability of trustworthy checksums from software developers and vendors.
What to Check
How to Test
Step 1: Review Documentation
Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SI-7(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 |
|---|
| cloud-audit-mcp | Check integrity monitoring | cloud_audit_monitoring |
| AWS CLI | Review GuardDuty/Inspector | aws guardduty list-detectors |
Remediation Guide
Control Statement
Require that the integrity of the following user-installed software be verified prior to execution: [organization-defined].
Implementation Guidance
Organizations verify the integrity of user-installed software prior to execution to reduce the likelihood of executing malicious code or programs that contains errors from unauthorized modifications. Organizations consider the source of the software, ensuring the software and updates come from authorized sources and/or sites, and the practicality of approaches to verifying software integrity, including the availability of trustworthy checksums from software developers and vendors.
Risk Assessment
| Finding | Severity | Impact |
|---|
| SI-7(12) Integrity Verification not implemented | High | System and Information Integrity |
| SI-7(12) partially implemented | Medium | Incomplete System and Information Integrity |
CWE Categories
| CWE ID | Title |
|---|
| CWE-20 | Improper Input Validation |
References
Checklist