# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-14 — Signed Components - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-14-signed-components - 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) › CM — Configuration Management - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `CM-14`·high·Component: **Configuration Management** ## What this control requires > Prevent installation of software/firmware unless digitally signed with an organization-approved certificate, including updates, patches, drivers, and BIOS, to ensure authenticity and reduce tampering risks. This control supports the Signatures capability within the Configuration Management family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control CM-14 ### In plain English Prevent installation of software/firmware unless digitally signed with an organization-approved certificate, including updates, patches, drivers, and BIOS, to ensure authenticity and reduce tampering risks. In practice, this means you can prove you security 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 **Configuration Management**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control CM-14) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Secure Development **Pipeline.** Require code review, SAST (Semgrep / Snyk Code), SCA (Dependabot / Renovate), secret-scanning and IaC scanning in the merge pipeline. **Branch protection.** Protected branches enforce reviews, signed commits and passing CI before merge; document the protection rules as the control evidence. #### Code Review Testing **Pipeline.** Require at least one human reviewer plus passing CI (lint, type, unit, security scan) before merge — protected branches enforce this. ### Operational checklist - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Configuration.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Review.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Control.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Testing,.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, organization, application, configuration, software, firmware, review, components. ## Evidence to collect - **Code Repo Scan.** Source-control evidence — branch protection, required reviewers, CI status, SCA / SAST reports. Source control pipelines (GitHub, GitLab) enforce SDLC guardrails. Focus: Signed Components. ## Common pitfalls - CI security checks set to warn-only; the merge button is faster than the security feedback. ## 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 3.13.13** — Mobile Code](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-13-13-mobile-code) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.8.28** — Secure coding](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-8-28-secure-coding) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control CM-7(7)** — Code Execution In Protected Environments](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-7-7-code-execution-in-protected-environments) - [**Control CM-8(7)** — Centralized Repository](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-8-7-centralized-repository) - [**Control SI-7(15)** — Code Authentication](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/si-7-15-code-authentication) - [**Control AC-6(8)** — Privilege Levels For Code Execution](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-6-8-privilege-levels-for-code-execution) - [**Control IA-9(2)** — Transmission Of Decisions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-9-2-transmission-of-decisions) - [**Control CM-7(5)** — Authorized Software -- Allow-By-Exception](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-7-5-authorized-software-allow-by-exception) ## 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 CM-14` Topics: application securitysecure developmentcode review testingdevsecopscertificate 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.