# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 PS-3(3) — Information Requiring Special Protection Measures - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ps-3-3-information-requiring-special-protection-measures - 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) › PS — Personnel Security - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `PS-3(3)`·high·Component: **Personnel Security** ## What this control requires > Ensure individuals accessing systems with sensitive information, like controlled unclassified data, have valid access authorizations based on their official duties. They must also meet organization-defined personnel screening criteria, such as background checks or security clearances, to ensure the proper handling of sensitive data. This control supports the Governance capability within the Personnel Security family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control PS-3(3) ### In plain English Ensure individuals accessing systems with sensitive information, like controlled unclassified data, have valid access authorizations based on their official duties. 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 **Personnel Security**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control PS-3(3)) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement 1. Write a short policy stating intent, scope and named owner. 2. Encode it as a platform guardrail — SCP, Azure Policy initiative, Organisation Policy, or repository policy. 3. Wire a monitoring signal that catches drift (CSPM rule, SIEM rule, scheduled query, Workspace alert) and ticket it. 4. Review on a documented cadence and capture the review in the risk register or compliance tracker. ### Operational checklist - **Access.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Data.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Review.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, information, access authorizations, organization, personnel, protection, identity, checks. ## 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: Information Requiring Special Protection Measures. ## 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 3.9.2** — Personnel Termination and Transfer](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-9-2-personnel-termination-and-transfer) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.2** — Information security roles and responsibilities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-2-information-security-roles-and-responsibilities) - [**CIS Controls v8 6.7** — Centralize Access Control](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/6-7-centralize-access-control) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC6.4** — Physical Access Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc6-4-physical-access-controls) - [**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 PS-6(3)** — Post-Employment Requirements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ps-6-3-post-employment-requirements) - [**Control PS-6(2)** — Classified Information Requiring Special Protection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ps-6-2-classified-information-requiring-special-protection) - [**Control PE-2(3)** — Restrict Unescorted Access](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pe-2-3-restrict-unescorted-access) - [**Control PE-8(1)** — Automated Records Maintenance And Review](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pe-8-1-automated-records-maintenance-and-review) - [**Control PS-6(1)** — Information Requiring Special Protection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ps-6-1-information-requiring-special-protection) - [**Control SA-21** — Developer Screening](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-21-developer-screening) ## 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 PS-3(3)` Topics: identity accessidentity managementaccess reviewprivileged access ## 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.