# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 AU-13 — Monitoring For Information Disclosure - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/au-13-monitoring-for-information-disclosure - 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) › AU — Audit and Accountability - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `AU-13`·high·Component: **Audit and Accountability** ## What this control requires > Monitors defined open-source or information sites periodically for unauthorized disclosure, notifying personnel and taking defined actions upon discovery. This control supports the Information Disclosure Monitor capability within the Audit and Accountability family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control AU-13 ### In plain English Monitors defined open-source or information sites periodically for unauthorized disclosure, notifying personnel and taking defined actions upon discovery. In practice, this means you can prove you policy 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 **Audit and Accountability**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control AU-13) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Policy Management **Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA. ### Operational checklist - **Policy.** 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. - **Monitor.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Unauthorized.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, actions, information, personnel, source, information disclosure, monitor, capability. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Monitoring For Information Disclosure. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. ## 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. - [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.512(k)(6)** — Uses and disclosures for specialized government functions - Providing public benefits](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-512-k-6-uses-and-disclosures-for-specialized-government-functions-providing-public) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.6.6** — Confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-6-6-confidentiality-or-non-disclosure-agreements) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC4.1** — Control Monitoring](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc4-1-control-monitoring) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.3.4** — Response to Audit Logging Process Failures](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-3-4-response-to-audit-logging-process-failures) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control AU-13(2)** — Review Of Monitored Sites](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/au-13-2-review-of-monitored-sites) - [**Control AU-14(3)** — Remote Viewing And Listening](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/au-14-3-remote-viewing-and-listening) - [**Control AU-13(1)** — Use Of Automated Tools](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/au-13-1-use-of-automated-tools) - [**Control AU-13(3)** — Unauthorized Replication Of Information](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/au-13-3-unauthorized-replication-of-information) - [**Control AU-14(1)** — System Start-Up](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/au-14-1-system-start-up) - [**Control AU-10** — Non-Repudiation](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/au-10-non-repudiation) ## 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 AU-13` Topics: governance riskcontinuous monitoringpolicy 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.