# CIS Controls v8 13.9 — Deploy Port-Level Access Control - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/13-9-deploy-port-level-access-control - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [CIS Critical Security Controls v8](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8) › Control 13 — Network Monitoring and Defense - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **CIS Controls v8**·Control `13.9`·medium·Component: **Protect** ## What this control requires > Deploy port-level access control. Port-level access control utilizes 802.1x, or similar network access control protocols, such as certificates, and may incorporate user and/or device authentication. > > — CIS Controls v8, Control 13.9 ### In plain English Deploy port-level access control. In practice, this means you can prove you deploy network-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters The CIS Controls are an industry-vetted, prioritised defence: skipping a safeguard widens the attack surface that the safeguards above and below it assume is closed. Audit frameworks (FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA) all cite CIS as evidence of due care. ## What an auditor looks for A CIS-aligned reviewer wants to see (a) which Implementation Group you are targeting, (b) a documented owner for the safeguard, and (c) a tooling or process artefact (config, scan output, ticket) that proves the safeguard runs on the cadence the control demands. Within **Protect**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control 13.9) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Cloud Posture **CSPM.** Run Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center over every account; auto-ticket findings above your accepted-risk threshold. #### Network Security **AWS.** VPC Flow Logs to S3, default-deny security groups, AWS Network Firewall for north-south, and Transit Gateway for hub-and-spoke segmentation. **Azure.** NSGs with deny-by-default, Azure Firewall Premium with TLS inspection, Private Endpoints for PaaS, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud's secure score for drift. **GCP.** VPC Service Controls perimeters around sensitive APIs, Cloud NGFW Enterprise for L7 inspection, Private Service Connect for managed services. ### Operational checklist - **Deploy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Protect.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** network, user, access control, port-level access control, certificates, incorporate user, device authentication, identity management. ## Evidence to collect - **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings. - **Identity Scan.** IAM / IdP exports — Entra ID, Okta, IAM Identity Center, Workspace directory — showing accounts, roles, MFA state and last sign-in. Infrastructure posture tooling (AWS Config, Azure Policy, Nessus) verifies platform hardening. Identity analytics (Okta, SailPoint, Access Analyzer) demonstrates least-privilege. Focus: Deploy Port-Level Access Control. ## Common pitfalls - Treating CSPM findings as a backlog instead of a hot queue: findings older than the policy SLA accumulate until the auditor asks why. - Default-allow egress rules; East-West traffic with no segmentation; jump hosts on the public internet with password auth. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 IA-4(4)** — Identify User Status](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-4-4-identify-user-status) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.1.11** — Session Termination](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-1-11-session-termination) - [**BSI C5:2020 PS-04** — Physical site access control](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ps-04-physical-site-access-control) - [**ISO/IEC 27701:2025 A.3.8** — Identity management](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27701-2025/a-3-8-identity-management) ## Related controls in CIS Controls v8 - [**Control 12.5** — Centralize Network Authentication, Authorization, and Auditing (AAA)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/12-5-centralize-network-authentication-authorization-and-auditing-aaa) - [**Control 6.4** — Require MFA for Remote Network Access](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/6-4-require-mfa-for-remote-network-access) - [**Control 3.3** — Configure Data Access Control Lists](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/3-3-configure-data-access-control-lists) - [**Control 12.7** — Ensure Remote Devices Utilize a VPN and are Connecting to an Enterprise's AAA Infrastructure](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/12-7-ensure-remote-devices-utilize-a-vpn-and-are-connecting-to-an-enterprise-s-aaa) - [**Control 6.7** — Centralize Access Control](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/6-7-centralize-access-control) - [**Control 6.8** — Define and Maintain Role-Based Access Control](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/6-8-define-and-maintain-role-based-access-control) ## References - [Center for Internet Security — CIS Controls v8](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/v8) - Catalogue identifier: `Control 13.9` Topics: identity accessnetwork securitycloud postureidentity managementaccess review ## Related compliance guidance - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them. - [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.