# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-30(2) — Randomness - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-30-2-randomness - 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-30(2)`·high·Component: **System and Communications Protection** ## What this control requires > Employ organization-defined techniques to introduce randomness into operations and assets. Randomness increases uncertainty for adversaries, making it harder for them to predict and target organizational resources. Techniques such as varying routine actions, using different information technologies, rotating roles, and changing suppliers introduce unpredictability and may cause attackers to hesitate. This control supports the Randomness and Misdirection Mechanism capability within the System and Communications Protection family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control SC-30(2) ### In plain English Employ organization-defined techniques to introduce randomness into operations and assets. In practice, this means you can prove you information 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 Communications Protection**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control SC-30(2)) 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 - **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Protection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Chain.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **System.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, actions, information, organization, system, protection, capability, operations. ## Evidence to collect - **Vendor Risk Management.** `vendor_risk_management` evidence Third-party risk management evidence (assessments, contracts, due diligence) shows supplier oversight. Focus: Randomness. ## 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. - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.20** — Addressing information security within supplier agreements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-20-addressing-information-security-within-supplier-agreements) - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.16.2** — Unsupported System Components](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-16-2-unsupported-system-components) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) P6.1** — Third-Party Disclosure with Data Subject Consent](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/p6-1-third-party-disclosure-with-data-subject-consent) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control SR-7** — Supply Chain Operations Security](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sr-7-supply-chain-operations-security) - [**Control SC-7(19)** — Block Communication From Non-Organizationally Configured Hosts](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-7-19-block-communication-from-non-organizationally-configured-hosts) - [**Control SC-29** — Heterogeneity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-29-heterogeneity) - [**Control SR-3(1)** — Diverse Supply Base](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sr-3-1-diverse-supply-base) - [**Control PL-8(2)** — Supplier Diversity](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pl-8-2-supplier-diversity) - [**Control SA-12(2)** — Supplier Reviews](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sa-12-2-supplier-reviews) ## 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-30(2)` Topics: vendor riskvendor managementsupply chain securitythird party monitoring ## 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.