ac-2-4-automated-audit-actions

name	AC-2(4)_automated-audit-actions
description	Automatically audit account creation, modification, enabling, disabling, and removal actions.
category	authorization
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","ac-2-4","ac","enhancement"]
tech_stack	["aws","azure","gcp","linux","windows"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-284"]
chains_with	["AU-2","AU-6"]
prerequisites	["AC-2"]
severity_boost	{"AU-2":"Chain with AU-2 for comprehensive security coverage","AU-6":"Chain with AU-6 for comprehensive security coverage"}

AC-2(4) Automated Audit Actions

Enhancement of: AC-2

High-Level Description

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

Account management audit records are defined in accordance with AU-02 and reviewed, analyzed, and reported in accordance with AU-06.

What to Check

• Verify AC-2(4) Automated Audit Actions is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for AC-2(4)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control AC-2

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for AC-2(4) 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 audit account creation, modification, enabling, disabling, and removal actions.

Implementation Guidance

Account management audit records are defined in accordance with AU-02 and reviewed, analyzed, and reported in accordance with AU-06.

Risk Assessment

Finding	Severity	Impact