# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 IA-2(6) — Access To Accounts -- Separate Device - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-2-6-access-to-accounts-separate-device - 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) › IA — Identification and Authentication - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `IA-2(6)`·high·Component: **Identification and Authentication** ## What this control requires > Implement MFA for privileged/non-privileged accounts with one factor from a separate device (e.g., hardware token) meeting strength requirements. This control supports the MFA capability within the Identification and Authentication family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control IA-2(6) ### In plain English Implement MFA for privileged/non-privileged accounts with one factor from a separate device (e.g., hardware token) meeting strength requirements. In practice, this means you can prove you access 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 **Identification and Authentication**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control IA-2(6)) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Endpoint Protection **MDM.** Make MDM enrollment a hard gate for device access (Intune compliance + Conditional Access, or Jamf + Okta device trust). Unmanaged devices simply don't get a session token. **EDR.** Deploy CrowdStrike / SentinelOne / Defender for Endpoint to every server and laptop; alert on any host that stops sending telemetry for >24h. ### Operational checklist - **Access.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Separate.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Review.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Device.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Protection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, accounts, authentication, e, protection, identity, hardware, review. ## 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: Access To Accounts -- Separate Device. ## Common pitfalls - Pilot MDM rollouts that quietly exclude executives or engineers; carving out the highest-risk users is the most common audit failure. ## 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 3.5.7** — Password Management](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-5-7-password-management) - [**CIS Controls v8 14.9** — Conduct Role-Specific Security Awareness and Skills Training](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/14-9-conduct-role-specific-security-awareness-and-skills-training) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC6.2** — Access Provisioning](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc6-2-access-provisioning) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.8.2** — Privileged access rights](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-8-2-privileged-access-rights) - [**BSI C5:2020 IDM-08** — Confidentiality of authentication information](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/idm-08-confidentiality-of-authentication-information) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control IA-2(7)** — Network Access To Non-Privileged Accounts -- Separate Device](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-2-7-network-access-to-non-privileged-accounts-separate-device) - [**Control IA-2(11)** — Remote Access -- Separate Device](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-2-11-remote-access-separate-device) - [**Control IA-2(3)** — Local Access To Privileged Accounts](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-2-3-local-access-to-privileged-accounts) - [**Control IA-2(4)** — Local Access To Non-Privileged Accounts](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-2-4-local-access-to-non-privileged-accounts) - [**Control IA-2(1)** — Multi-Factor Authentication To Privileged Accounts](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-2-1-multi-factor-authentication-to-privileged-accounts) - [**Control IA-2(2)** — Multi-Factor Authentication To Non-Privileged Accounts](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ia-2-2-multi-factor-authentication-to-non-privileged-accounts) ## 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 IA-2(6)` Topics: identity accessprivileged accessidentity managementaccess reviewendpoint protection ## 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.