SC-7 Boundary Protection
Control
Monitor and control communications at the external managed interfaces to the system and at key internal managed interfaces within the system;
Implement subnetworks for publicly accessible system components that are [Assignment: Selection: physically | logically] separated from internal organizational networks; and
Connect to external networks or systems only through managed interfaces consisting of boundary protection devices arranged in accordance with an organizational security and privacy architecture.
Discussion
Managed interfaces include gateways, routers, firewalls, guards, network-based malicious code analysis, virtualization systems, or encrypted tunnels implemented within a security architecture. Subnetworks that are physically or logically separated from internal networks are referred to as demilitarized zones or DMZs. Restricting or prohibiting interfaces within organizational systems includes restricting external web traffic to designated web servers within managed interfaces, prohibiting external traffic that appears to be spoofing internal addresses, and prohibiting internal traffic that appears to be spoofing external addresses. [SP 800-189](#f5edfe51-d1f2-422e-9b27-5d0e90b49c72) provides additional information on source address validation techniques to prevent ingress and egress of traffic with spoofed addresses. Commercial telecommunications services are provided by network components and consolidated management systems shared by customers. These services may also include third party-provided access lines and other service elements. Such services may represent sources of increased risk despite contract security provisions. Boundary protection may be implemented as a common control for all or part of an organizational network such that the boundary to be protected is greater than a system-specific boundary (i.e., an authorization boundary).
Control enhancements (29)
- SC-7(1)Physically Separated Subnetworks
- SC-7(2)Public Access
- SC-7(3)Access PointsMODERATEHIGH
- SC-7(4)External Telecommunications ServicesMODERATEHIGH
- SC-7(5)Deny by Default — Allow by ExceptionMODERATEHIGH
- SC-7(6)Response to Recognized Failures
- SC-7(7)Split Tunneling for Remote DevicesMODERATEHIGH
- SC-7(8)Route Traffic to Authenticated Proxy ServersMODERATEHIGH
- SC-7(9)Restrict Threatening Outgoing Communications Traffic
- SC-7(10)Prevent Exfiltration
- SC-7(11)Restrict Incoming Communications Traffic
- SC-7(12)Host-based Protection
- SC-7(13)Isolation of Security Tools, Mechanisms, and Support Components
- SC-7(14)Protect Against Unauthorized Physical Connections
- SC-7(15)Networked Privileged Accesses
- SC-7(16)Prevent Discovery of System Components
- SC-7(17)Automated Enforcement of Protocol Formats
- SC-7(18)Fail SecureHIGH
- SC-7(19)Block Communication from Non-organizationally Configured Hosts
- SC-7(20)Dynamic Isolation and Segregation
- SC-7(21)Isolation of System ComponentsHIGH
- SC-7(22)Separate Subnets for Connecting to Different Security Domains
- SC-7(23)Disable Sender Feedback on Protocol Validation Failure
- SC-7(24)Personally Identifiable InformationPRIVACY
- SC-7(25)Unclassified National Security System Connections
- SC-7(26)Classified National Security System Connections
- SC-7(27)Unclassified Non-national Security System Connections
- SC-7(28)Connections to Public Networks
- SC-7(29)Separate Subnets to Isolate Functions
Related controls
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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.
