# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-12(2) — Symmetric Keys - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-12-2-symmetric-keys - 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) › SC — System and Communications Protection - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `SC-12(2)`·critical·Component: **System and Communications Protection** ## What this control requires > Produce, control, and distribute symmetric cryptographic keys using NIST FIPS-validated or NSA-approved key management technology and processes. This ensures that key establishment and management follow industry standards and guidelines, such as SP 800-56A, SP 800-56B, SP 800-56C, and SP 800-57. This control supports the Symmetric Key Management System capability within the System and Communications Protection family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control SC-12(2) ### In plain English Produce, control, and distribute symmetric cryptographic keys using NIST FIPS-validated or NSA-approved key management technology and processes. 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 **critical** in the source catalogue. Treat gaps here as production incidents in the risk register, not housekeeping. ## 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 Communications Protection**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control SC-12(2)) 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. - **Protection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Cryptographic.** 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, cryptographic keys, system, protection, capability, policy, sp. ## Evidence to collect - **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document. - **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings. Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Symmetric Keys. ## 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 3.13.11** — Cryptographic Protection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-13-11-cryptographic-protection) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.8.24** — Use of cryptography](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-8-24-use-of-cryptography) - [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.308(a)(5)(i)** — Security Awareness and Training](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-308-a-5-i-security-awareness-and-training) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC8.1** — Change Management](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc8-1-change-management) - [**BSI C5:2020 SP-01** — Documentation, communication and provision of policies and instructions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/sp-01-documentation-communication-and-provision-of-policies-and-instructions) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control SC-12(3)** — Asymmetric Keys](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-12-3-asymmetric-keys) - [**Control SC-15(4)** — Explicitly Indicate Current Participants](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-15-4-explicitly-indicate-current-participants) - [**Control SC-1** — Policy And Procedures](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-1-policy-and-procedures) - [**Control SC-5(2)** — Capacity, Bandwidth, And Redundancy](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-5-2-capacity-bandwidth-and-redundancy) - [**Control SC-7(4)** — External Telecommunications Services](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-7-4-external-telecommunications-services) - [**Control SC-16(2)** — Anti-Spoofing Mechanisms](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-16-2-anti-spoofing-mechanisms) ## 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 SC-12(2)` Topics: governance riskkey managementpolicy 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.