MA-4 Nonlocal Maintenance
Control
Approve and monitor nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic activities;
Allow the use of nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic tools only as consistent with organizational policy and documented in the security plan for the system;
Employ strong authentication in the establishment of nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic sessions;
Maintain records for nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic activities; and
Terminate session and network connections when nonlocal maintenance is completed.
Discussion
Nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic activities are conducted by individuals who communicate through either an external or internal network. Local maintenance and diagnostic activities are carried out by individuals who are physically present at the system location and not communicating across a network connection. Authentication techniques used to establish nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic sessions reflect the network access requirements in [IA-2](#ia-2) . Strong authentication requires authenticators that are resistant to replay attacks and employ multi-factor authentication. Strong authenticators include PKI where certificates are stored on a token protected by a password, passphrase, or biometric. Enforcing requirements in [MA-4](#ma-4) is accomplished, in part, by other controls. [SP 800-63B](#e59c5a7c-8b1f-49ca-8de0-6ee0882180ce) provides additional guidance on strong authentication and authenticators.
Control enhancements (7)
Related controls
Need MA-4 implemented and evidenced?
We assess where you stand against this control, document the gap, and build the remediation plan your auditor and your board will both accept.
Control catalog and framework text on this page is reproduced from official NIST publications — a public-domain work of the U.S. Government (17 U.S.C. §105). Maverc commentary, groupings, and readiness guidance are our own and are not part of any NIST publication.