CCI-003193

The organization requires the developer of the information system, system component, or information system service to perform attack surface reviews.

Implementation Guidance

The organization being inspected/assessed requires within contracts/agreements that the developer perform and document attack surface reviews to uncover any accessible areas where weaknesses or deficiencies in the design and functionality of information systems (including the hardware, software, and firmware components) provide opportunities for adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities. Attack surface reviews may include: 1. Analyzing both design and implementation changes to information systems; 2. Testing the system with debug options off, or making the debug capabilities inaccessible to unauthorized users; 3. Mitigating attack vectors generated as a result of the changes. Correction of identified flaws includes, for example, deprecation of unsafe functions; and 4. Using configuration documents that describe how to configure OTS elements to limit their functionality or increase their security. These include DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and NSA Security configuration guides. Perform this as early in the lifecycle as possible, so that unnecessary or dangerous functionality is not depended upon or does not go unnoticed.

Validation Procedures

The organization conducting the inspection/assessment obtains and examines the contracts/agreements to ensure the organization being inspected/assessed requires that the developer of the information system, system component, or information system service perform and document attack surface reviews.

Compelling Evidence

1.) System security plan (SSP). 2.) System development life cycle (SDLC) documentation. 3.) Continuous monitoring plan must require developer to perform attack surface reviews.

The controls below (if any) were marked by NIST as being related to CCI-003193.