sa-15-5-attack-surface-reduction

name	SA-15(5)_attack-surface-reduction
description	Require the developer of the system, system component, or system service to reduce attack surfaces to [organization-defined].
category	configuration
version	5.2.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["nist","sp800-53","rev5","sa-15-5","sa","enhancement"]
tech_stack	["any"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-16"]
chains_with	["AC-6","CM-7","RA-3","SA-11"]
prerequisites	["SA-15"]
severity_boost	{"AC-6":"Chain with AC-6 for comprehensive security coverage","CM-7":"Chain with CM-7 for comprehensive security coverage","RA-3":"Chain with RA-3 for comprehensive security coverage"}

SA-15(5) Attack Surface Reduction

Enhancement of: SA-15

High-Level Description

Family: System and Services Acquisition (SA) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Attack surface reduction is closely aligned with threat and vulnerability analyses and system architecture and design. Attack surface reduction is a means of reducing risk to organizations by giving attackers less opportunity to exploit weaknesses or deficiencies (i.e., potential vulnerabilities) within systems, system components, and system services. Attack surface reduction includes implementing the concept of layered defenses, applying the principles of least privilege and least functionality, applying secure software development practices, deprecating unsafe functions, reducing entry points available to unauthorized users, reducing the amount of code that executes, and eliminating application programming interfaces (APIs) that are vulnerable to attacks.

What to Check

• Verify SA-15(5) Attack Surface Reduction is documented in SSP
• Confirm control is operating effectively
• Review evidence of continuous monitoring for SA-15(5)
• Verify enhancement builds upon base control SA-15

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SA-15(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
Manual Review	Documentation and interview-based	N/A

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Require the developer of the system, system component, or system service to reduce attack surfaces to [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Attack surface reduction is closely aligned with threat and vulnerability analyses and system architecture and design. Attack surface reduction is a means of reducing risk to organizations by giving attackers less opportunity to exploit weaknesses or deficiencies (i.e., potential vulnerabilities) within systems, system components, and system services. Attack surface reduction includes implementing the concept of layered defenses, applying the principles of least privilege and least functionality, applying secure software development practices, deprecating unsafe functions, reducing entry points available to unauthorized users, reducing the amount of code that executes, and eliminating application programming interfaces (APIs) that are vulnerable to attacks.