# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CA-5 — Plan Of Action And Milestones - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ca-5-plan-of-action-and-milestones - 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) › CA — Assessment, Authorization, and Monitoring - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `CA-5`·high·Component: **Assessment, Authorization, and Monitoring** ## What this control requires > Develops and updates a plan of action and milestones to document remediation of control weaknesses and vulnerabilities, based on assessments and monitoring. This control supports the POA&M Management System capability within the Assessment, Authorization, and Monitoring family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control CA-5 ### In plain English Develops and updates a plan of action and milestones to document remediation of control weaknesses and vulnerabilities, based on assessments and monitoring. 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 **Assessment, Authorization, and Monitoring**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control CA-5) 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. #### Vulnerability Management **Scanners.** Pair an unauthenticated scanner (Nessus / Qualys / Tenable.io) for external surface with an authenticated agent for OS/library CVEs on every host. **SLA.** Document remediation SLAs by CVSS / EPSS: critical 7 days, high 30 days, medium 90 days; report monthly trend to leadership. **Containers.** Scan images in CI (Trivy / Grype / Snyk Container) AND at runtime; block deploys on critical findings without exception. ### Operational checklist - **Policy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **System.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Control.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Plan.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Authorization.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, authorization, system, assessments, assessment, updates, capability, policy. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Plan Of Action And Milestones. ## Common pitfalls - Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced. - Scans that hit only the perimeter; missing authenticated scans of OS, runtime libs and base images so most CVEs are invisible. ## 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 3.12.2** — Plan of Action and Milestones](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-12-2-plan-of-action-and-milestones) - [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.308(a)(5)(ii)(A)** — Security Awareness and Training - Security Reminders](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-308-a-5-ii-a-security-awareness-and-training-security-reminders) - [**CIS Controls v8 7.7** — Remediate Detected Vulnerabilities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/7-7-remediate-detected-vulnerabilities) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC3.3** — Fraud Risk Assessment](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc3-3-fraud-risk-assessment) - [**BSI C5:2020 OIS-05** — Contact with Relevant Government Agencies and Interest Groups](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ois-05-contact-with-relevant-government-agencies-and-interest-groups) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control CA-7(1)** — Independent Assessment](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ca-7-1-independent-assessment) - [**Control CA-1** — Policy And Procedures](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ca-1-policy-and-procedures) - [**Control CA-2** — Control Assessments](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ca-2-control-assessments) - [**Control CA-2(1)** — Independent Assessors](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ca-2-1-independent-assessors) - [**Control CA-7(4)** — Risk Monitoring](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ca-7-4-risk-monitoring) - [**Control CA-8(1)** — Independent Penetration Testing Agent Or Team](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ca-8-1-independent-penetration-testing-agent-or-team) ## 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 CA-5` Topics: governance riskcontinuous monitoringpolicy managementvulnerability 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.