# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 SC-7(7) — Split Tunneling For Remote Devices - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-7-7-split-tunneling-for-remote-devices - 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-7(7)`·high·Component: **System and Communications Protection** ## What this control requires > Prevent split tunneling for remote devices connecting to organizational systems unless securely provisioned with organization-defined safeguards, such as VPNs locking connectivity to specific, managed environments. This control supports the Virtual Private Network (VPN) System capability within the System and Communications Protection family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control SC-7(7) ### In plain English Prevent split tunneling for remote devices connecting to organizational systems unless securely provisioned with organization-defined safeguards, such as VPNs locking connectivity to specific, managed environments. In practice, this means you can prove you security organization-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-7(7)) 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 - **Security.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Network.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Remote.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Protection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **System.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** organization, system, protection, environments, capability, systems, security, devices. ## Evidence to collect - **User Device Scan.** MDM compliance state per user device (Intune / Jamf / Workspace ONE). Endpoint compliance telemetry (Intune, Jamf) proves managed coverage. Focus: Split Tunneling For Remote Devices. ## 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 3.13.1** — Boundary Protection](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-13-1-boundary-protection) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control SC-5(1)** — Restrict Ability To Attack Other Systems](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-5-1-restrict-ability-to-attack-other-systems) - [**Control SC-15(3)** — Disabling And Removal In Secure Work Areas](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-15-3-disabling-and-removal-in-secure-work-areas) - [**Control SC-15** — Collaborative Computing Devices And Applications](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-15-collaborative-computing-devices-and-applications) - [**Control AC-19** — Access Control For Mobile Devices](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ac-19-access-control-for-mobile-devices) - [**Control SC-15(1)** — Physical Or Logical Disconnect](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-15-1-physical-or-logical-disconnect) - [**Control SC-42** — Sensor Capability And Data](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/sc-42-sensor-capability-and-data) ## 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-7(7)` Topics: endpoint securityendpoint 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.