ac-12-session-termination

name	AC-12_session-termination
description	Automatically terminate a user session after [organization-defined].
category	authorization
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","ac-12","ac"]
tech_stack	["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-284"]
chains_with	["MA-4","SC-10","SC-23"]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{"MA-4":"Chain with MA-4 for comprehensive security coverage","SC-10":"Chain with SC-10 for comprehensive security coverage","SC-23":"Chain with SC-23 for comprehensive security coverage"}

AC-12 Session Termination

High-Level Description

Family: Access Control (AC) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Session termination addresses the termination of user-initiated logical sessions (in contrast to SC-10 , which addresses the termination of network connections associated with communications sessions (i.e., network disconnect)). A logical session (for local, network, and remote access) is initiated whenever a user (or process acting on behalf of a user) accesses an organizational system. Such user sessions can be terminated without terminating network sessions. Session termination ends all processes associated with a user’s logical session except for those processes that are specifically created by the user (i.e., session owner) to continue after the session is terminated. Conditions or trigger events that require automatic termination of the session include organization-defined periods of user inactivity, targeted responses to certain types of incidents, or time-of-day restrictions on system use.

What to Check

• Verify AC-12 Session Termination is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AC-12

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AC-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 IAM policies and access controls	cloud_audit_iam_policies
hackbrowser-mcp	Test web application access controls	browser_auth_test

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Automatically terminate a user session after [organization-defined].