# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SA-10(1) — Software And Firmware Integrity Verification

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-10-1-software-and-firmware-integrity-verification
- 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) › SA — System and Services Acquisition
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `SA-10(1)`·high·Component: **System and Services Acquisition**

## What this control requires

> Require developers to enable integrity verification of software and firmware components using secure tools and techniques. Support detection of unauthorized changes and counterfeiting through mechanisms like one-way hashes. This control supports the Developer-Supported Integrity Verification Protocol capability within the System and Services Acquisition family.
> 
> — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control SA-10(1)

### In plain English

Require developers to enable integrity verification of software and firmware components using secure tools and techniques. 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 **System and Services Acquisition**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control SA-10(1)) 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.

### Operational checklist

-   **Policy.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **One-Way.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Enable.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Detection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Changes.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** management, system, software, firmware, components, services, capability, tools.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document.

Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Software And Firmware Integrity Verification.

## Common pitfalls

-   Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced.

## 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 3.17.3** — Supply Chain Requirements and Processes](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-17-3-supply-chain-requirements-and-processes)

## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5

-   [**Control SA-10(3)** — Hardware Integrity Verification](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-10-3-hardware-integrity-verification)
-   [**Control SA-18** — Tamper Resistance And Detection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-18-tamper-resistance-and-detection)
-   [**Control SA-8(17)** — Secure Distributed Composition](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-8-17-secure-distributed-composition)
-   [**Control SA-8(12)** — Hierarchical Protection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-8-12-hierarchical-protection)
-   [**Control SA-10(6)** — Trusted Distribution](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-10-6-trusted-distribution)
-   [**Control SI-2(6)** — Removal Of Previous Versions Of Software And Firmware](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/si-2-6-removal-of-previous-versions-of-software-and-firmware)

## 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 SA-10(1)`

Topics: governance riskpolicy 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.