# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 AC-6(1) — Authorize Access To Security Functions - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-6-1-authorize-access-to-security-functions - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5) › AC — Access Control - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `AC-6(1)`·high·Component: **Access Control** ## What this control requires > Authorize specific individuals or roles to access security functions (e.g., account management, audit settings) and security-relevant information (e.g., firewall rules, cryptographic keys) to ensure least privilege and protect system security. This control supports the Identity and Access Management System capability within the Access Control family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control AC-6(1) ### In plain English Authorize specific individuals or roles to access security functions (e.g., account management, audit settings) and security-relevant information (e.g., firewall rules, cryptographic keys) to ensure least privilege and protect system security. In practice, this means you can prove you account management-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters SP 800-53 is the catalogue every U.S. federal authorisation (FedRAMP, FISMA, CMMC) and most regulated industries point at. A missing control surfaces as a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) item that an Authorizing Official must approve before the Authority To Operate is granted or renewed. This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation. ## What an auditor looks for A 3PAO (FedRAMP) or Independent Assessor (NIST RMF) tests against NIST SP 800-53A assessment procedures. For each control they expect a documented implementation that addresses every assessment objective (Examine, Interview, Test) and an implementation summary in the System Security Plan. Within **Access Control**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control AC-6(1)) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement 1. Write a short policy stating intent, scope and named owner. 2. Encode it as a platform guardrail — SCP, Azure Policy initiative, Organisation Policy, or repository policy. 3. Wire a monitoring signal that catches drift (CSPM rule, SIEM rule, scheduled query, Workspace alert) and ticket it. 4. Review on a documented cadence and capture the review in the risk register or compliance tracker. ### Operational checklist - **Account.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Access.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Security-Relevant.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Audit.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, account management, access control, information, cryptographic keys, system, privilege, access security functions. ## Evidence to collect - **Identity Scan.** IAM / IdP exports — Entra ID, Okta, IAM Identity Center, Workspace directory — showing accounts, roles, MFA state and last sign-in. Identity analytics (Okta, SailPoint, Access Analyzer) demonstrates least-privilege. Focus: Authorize Access To Security Functions. ## 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 800-171 Rev. 3 3.1.6** — Least Privilege - Privileged Accounts](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-1-6-least-privilege-privileged-accounts) - [**CIS Controls v8 6.7** — Centralize Access Control](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/6-7-centralize-access-control) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.2** — Information security roles and responsibilities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-2-information-security-roles-and-responsibilities) - [**India DPDP Act 2023 SE-002** — Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) & Least Privilege](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/india-dpdp-act-2023/se-002-role-based-access-control-rbac-least-privilege) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control AC-6(2)** — Non-Privileged Access For Nonsecurity Functions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-6-2-non-privileged-access-for-nonsecurity-functions) - [**Control AC-6(10)** — Prohibit Non-Privileged Users From Executing Privileged Functions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-6-10-prohibit-non-privileged-users-from-executing-privileged-functions) - [**Control AC-6(5)** — Privileged Accounts](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-6-5-privileged-accounts) - [**Control AC-6(6)** — Privileged Access By Non-Organizational Users](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-6-6-privileged-access-by-non-organizational-users) - [**Control AC-6(9)** — Log Use Of Privileged Functions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-6-9-log-use-of-privileged-functions) - [**Control AC-16(10)** — Attribute Configuration By Authorized Individuals](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-16-10-attribute-configuration-by-authorized-individuals) ## References - [NIST Computer Security Resource Center — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5](https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/risk-management/sp800-53-controls) - Catalogue identifier: `Control AC-6(1)` Topics: identity accessprivileged accessidentity managementaccess reviewfirewall management ## Related compliance guidance - [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): Start with the full NIST SP 800-53 implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC: a practical guide to protecting CUI in the cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3): If your obligation is protecting CUI in your own systems for a federal or defence contract, this derived subset — not the full catalogue — is the requirement. - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Most commercial SaaS already hold a SOC 2 Type 2, and FedRAMP 20x Class A is designed for providers that have one.