# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 CM-2 — Baseline Configuration - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-2-baseline-configuration - 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-2`·high·Component: **Configuration Management** ## What this control requires > Develops, documents, and maintains a current baseline configuration under configuration control, updating it periodically or when components change. This control supports the Baseline Configuration System capability within the Configuration Management family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control CM-2 ### In plain English Develops, documents, and maintains a current baseline configuration under configuration control, updating it periodically or when components change. 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-2) 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. #### Configuration Management **Policy-as-code.** Codify the control as Service Control Policies (AWS), Azure Policy initiatives, or Organisation Policy (GCP) so the platform enforces what the document promises. **IaC.** Gate Terraform / Pulumi / CloudFormation changes with Checkov / tfsec / OPA so misconfigurations never reach production. **Drift.** Run a CSPM (Wiz / Prisma / Defender for Cloud / Security Command Center) over every account and route findings to a single risk register. #### 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 - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Configuration.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Network.** 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. - **Scope:** management, system, configuration, components, capability, documents, security, configuration management. ## Evidence to collect - **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings. Infrastructure posture tooling (AWS Config, Azure Policy, Nessus) verifies platform hardening. Focus: Baseline Configuration. ## 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. - Manual cloud-console changes that never make it back to Terraform — drift accumulates until the next outage forces a reconciliation. - 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 800-171 Rev. 3 3.4.12** — System and Component Configuration for High-Risk Areas](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-4-12-system-and-component-configuration-for-high-risk-areas) - [**BSI C5:2020 INQ-02** — INQ-02 Informing Cloud Customers about Investigation Requests](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/inq-02-inq-02-informing-cloud-customers-about-investigation-requests) - [**CIS Controls v8 18.4** — Validate Security Measures](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/18-4-validate-security-measures) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.34** — Privacy and protection of personal identifiable information (PII)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-34-privacy-and-protection-of-personal-identifiable-information-pii) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control CM-2(7)** — Configure Systems And Components For High-Risk Areas](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-2-7-configure-systems-and-components-for-high-risk-areas) - [**Control CM-6** — Configuration Settings](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-6-configuration-settings) - [**Control CM-6(1)** — Automated Management, Application, And Verification](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-6-1-automated-management-application-and-verification) - [**Control CM-3(8)** — Prevent Or Restrict Configuration Changes](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-3-8-prevent-or-restrict-configuration-changes) - [**Control SR-11(2)** — Configuration Control For Component Service And Repair](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sr-11-2-configuration-control-for-component-service-and-repair) - [**Control CM-6(2)** — Respond To Unauthorized Changes](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cm-6-2-respond-to-unauthorized-changes) ## 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-2` Topics: governance riskcloud postureconfiguration managementnetwork securitychange 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.