Remote Access Confidentiality
Employ cryptographic mechanisms to protect the confidentiality of remote access sessions.
What gets scored, the objectives
AC.L2-3.1.13 is met only when every one of these 2 objectives, from NIST SP 800-171A, is satisfied. A single missed objective makes the whole requirement not met.
- a.cryptographic mechanisms to protect the confidentiality of remote access sessions are identified
- b.cryptographic mechanisms to protect the confidentiality of remote access sessions are implemented
How this is assessed
NIST SP 800-171A defines three assessment methods. For AC.L2-3.1.13, whoever assesses it, including your own team in a self assessment, uses these:
Access control policy; procedures addressing remote access to the system; system security plan; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation; cryptographic mechanisms and associated configuration documentation; system audit logs and records; other relevant documents or records
System or network administrators; personnel with information security responsibilities; system developers
Cryptographic mechanisms protecting remote access sessions
What it means, in context
Cryptographic standards include FIPS-validated cryptography and NSA-approved cryptography.
A remote access session involves logging into the organization’s systems such as its internal network or a cloud service provider from a remote location such as home or an alternate work site . Because the use of cryptography in this requirement is to protect the confidentiality of CUI, the cryptography used must meet the criteria specified in requirement SC.L2-3.13.11. Although not explicitly required to meet AC.L2-3.1.13 requirements, this remote access session must be secured using FIPS-validated cryptography to provide confidentiality and prevent anyone from deciphering session information exchanges. This requirement, AC.L2-3.1.13, requires the use of cryptographic mechanisms when enabling remote sessions and complements five other requirements dealing with remote access (AC.L2-3.1.12, AC.L2-3.1.14, AC.L2-3.1.15, IA.L2-3.5.3, and MA.L2-3.7.5): • AC.L2-3.1.12 requires the control of remote access sessions. • AC.L2-3.1.14 limits remote access to specific access control points. • AC.L2-3.1.15 requires authorization for privileged commands executed during a remote session. • IA.L2-3.5.3 requires multifactor authentication for network access to non-privileged accounts. • Finally, MA.L2-3.7.5 requires the addition of multifactor authentication for remote maintenance sessions. Example You are responsible for implementing a remote network access capability for users who access CUI remotely. In order to provide session confidentiality, you decide to implement a VPN mechanism and select a product that has completed FIPS 140 validation [a,b].
What passing evidence looks like
A note naming the cryptography protecting each remote path (TLS 1.2+ for cloud, the VPN cipher suite) and a configuration screenshot for each.
Common ways contractors fail AC.L2-3.1.13
- !For the confidentiality of the session this requirement wants cryptographic mechanisms IDENTIFIED and IMPLEMENTED. The official further discussion adds that because this cryptography protects CUI, the mechanism you use must meet the criteria in SC.L2-3.13.11, so name the mechanism, show it is turned on, and use FIPS validated cryptography for the session.
The step by step walkthrough for Microsoft 365 GCC High, Google Workspace, and on premises setups, plus the exact evidence to capture, lives inside the CMMC Level 2 plan.
Prove AC.L2-3.1.13, and the other 109
The Level 2 workspace walks your team through all 110 requirements at the objective level, drafts your SSP section by section from your own record for your team to read and accept, gives a prime or your own internal auditor a read only seat on the same record, and a credentialed officer reviews every step.
Book a free advisory callNo credit card, and Level 1 and Level 2 are both open, so sign up for the level your contracts call for. Self assessed and self attested: you score yourself in SPRS on a three year cycle and your senior official affirms it every year. As of September 3, 2026 a class deviation directs contracting officers to remove third party assessment from contracts. The program rule still provides for it, so your solicitation sets the track. Your team builds the same evidence either way. DFARS 252.204-7012 is unaffected, and the NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 baseline is unchanged.
AC.L2-3.1.13 questions, answered
How many points is CMMC requirement AC.L2-3.1.13 worth?+
AC.L2-3.1.13 is worth 5 points in the CMMC Level 2 score under 32 CFR 170.24. If it is not met, you lose 5 from your total of 110.
Can AC.L2-3.1.13 be placed on a POA&M?+
No. AC.L2-3.1.13 must be fully met before you can file. It cannot be deferred to a POA&M, so it is a gate on your assessment.
What family does AC.L2-3.1.13 belong to?+
AC.L2-3.1.13 is in the Access Control (AC) family, one of the 14 families of NIST SP 800-171 that make up CMMC Level 2.
- NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 3.1.13