Security Alerts & Advisories
Monitor system security alerts and advisories and take action in response.
What an assessor scores, the objectives
SI.L2-3.14.3 is met only when every one of these 3 objectives, from NIST SP 800-171A, is satisfied. A single missed objective makes the whole requirement not met.
- a.response actions to system security alerts and advisories are identified
- b.system security alerts and advisories are monitored
- c.actions in response to system security alerts and advisories are taken
How a C3PAO checks it
NIST SP 800-171A defines three assessment methods. For SI.L2-3.14.3, an assessor uses these:
System and information integrity policy; procedures addressing security alerts, advisories, and directives; system security plan; records of security alerts and advisories; other relevant documents or records
Personnel with security alert and advisory responsibilities; personnel implementing, operating, maintaining, and using the system; personnel, organizational elements, and external organizations to whom alerts, advisories, and directives are to be disseminated; system or network administrators; personnel with information security responsibilities
Organizational processes for defining, receiving, generating, disseminating, and complying with security alerts, advisories, and directives; mechanisms supporting or implementing definition, receipt, generation, and dissemination of security alerts, advisories, and directives; mechanisms supporting or implementing security directives
What it means, in context
There are many publicly available sources of system security alerts and advisories. The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) generates security alerts and advisories to maintain situational awareness across the federal government and in nonfederal organizations. Software vendors, subscription services, and relevant industry information sharing and analysis centers (ISACs) may also provide security alerts and advisories. Examples of response actions include notifying relevant external organizations, for example, external mission/business partners, supply chain partners, external service providers, and peer or supporting organizations. NIST SP 800-161 provides guidance on supply chain risk management.
Solicit and receive security alerts, advisories, and directives from reputable external organizations. Identify sources relevant to the industry and technology used by your company. Methods to receive alerts and advisories may include: • signing up for email distributions; • subscribing to RSS feeds; and • attending meetings. Review alerts and advisories for applicability as they are received. The frequency of the reviews should be based on the frequency of the alerts and advisories to ensure you have the most up-to-date information. External alerts and advisories may prompt you to generate internal security alerts, advisories, or directives, and share these with all personnel with a need-to-know. The individuals should assess the risk related to a given alert and act to respond as appropriate. Sometimes it may require a configuration update. Other times, the information may also require adjusting system architecture in order to thwart a threat described in an advisory. Example You monitor security advisories each week . You review the alert emails and online subscription service alerts to determine which ones apply [b] . You create a list of the applicable alerts and research what steps you need to take to address them. Next, you generate a plan that you review with your change management group so that the work can be scheduled [c].
What passing evidence looks like
You receive and act on security alerts: the subscription (CISA advisories, vendor bulletins) and one instance where an advisory led to a check or action.
Common ways contractors fail SI.L2-3.14.3
- !Three parts, not two: write down in advance what you do when an advisory lands, then monitor for them, then act. Keep one worked example: the advisory email, the two line note of what you checked, the patch that followed. Subscribing alone is not enough.
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 Level 2 Accelerator.
Prove SI.L2-3.14.3, and the other 109
The Level 2 workspace walks all 110 requirements with you at the objective level, generates your SSP, POA&M, and Audit Room from real evidence, gives your assessor a read only seat, and puts a Registered Practitioner alongside you year round.
No credit card, and Level 1 and Level 2 are both open, so sign up for the level your contracts call for. Self assessment and self attestation are law today, DFARS 252.204-7012 is unaffected, and the NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 baseline is unchanged, so the Level 2 work counts either way.
SI.L2-3.14.3 questions, answered
How many points is CMMC requirement SI.L2-3.14.3 worth?+
SI.L2-3.14.3 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 SI.L2-3.14.3 be placed on a POA&M?+
No. SI.L2-3.14.3 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 SI.L2-3.14.3 belong to?+
SI.L2-3.14.3 is in the System & Information Integrity (SI) family, one of the 14 families of NIST SP 800-171 that make up CMMC Level 2.
- NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 3.14.3