# CIS 5.3 — Disable Dormant Accounts

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/a_gen_cis_53_5c05bd37d9-cis-53-disable-dormant-accounts
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [AWS Checks New Version](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/62000112673) › [Respond](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/f_gen_62000112673_respond)
- Last updated: 2026-05-30
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

CIS · Control 5.3 · Priority: critical · Component: Respond

### What this control covers

Delete or disable any dormant accounts after a period of 45 days of inactivity, where supported.

### Why it matters

Risk is the language an executive team understands; this control connects technical reality to board-level decisions and budget allocation.

### How to implement

#### AWS

Codify the policy intent as **SCPs, AWS Config conformance packs, and Security Hub standards** so the cloud enforces what the document says.

#### Azure

Codify in **Azure Policy initiatives** (built-in regulatory compliance for CIS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA) and assign at management-group level.

#### GCP

**Org Policy Service** for guardrails and **Config Validator** in CI to pre-check Terraform plans against policy as code (Rego).

#### GitHub

Subscribe to **secret-scanning** alerts and **Dependabot** security advisories; require triage SLAs by severity. For exposed secrets, rotate at the cloud provider FIRST then revoke at GitHub — order matters.

#### On-premises

Maintain a policy library with a documented review cadence (annual minimum); store in your GRC tool with attestation tracking. Map each policy to controls so an audit pull cites the exact policy clause.

### Evidence to collect

-   `ticketing_workflow` — See the iCompaas Evidence library for the canonical source for this evidence type.
-   `infra_scan` — See the iCompaas Evidence library for the canonical source for this evidence type.

Workflow metrics (ServiceNow, Jira) show approvals and remediation. Focus: Disable Dormant Accounts.

### Quick checklist

-   Disable — Dormant Accounts / Response

### Related articles on this site

-   [NIST 800-171 3.5.6 Disable identifiers after a defined period of inactivity.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229294-nist-800-171-3-5-6-disable-identifiers-after-a-defined-period-of-inactivity-)
-   [CMMC 2.0 IA.3.086 Disable identifiers after a defined period of inactivity.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229479-cmmc-2-0-ia-3-086-disable-identifiers-after-a-defined-period-of-inactivity-)
-   [NIST 800-171 3.1.10 Use session lock with pattern-hiding displays to prevent access and viewing of data after a period of inactivity](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229235-nist-800-171-3-1-10-use-session-lock-with-pattern-hiding-displays-to-prevent-access-and-viewing-of-da)
-   [NIST 800-171 3.13.9 Terminate network connections associated with communications sessions at the end of the sessions or after a defined period of inactivity.](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000229256-nist-800-171-3-13-9-terminate-network-connections-associated-with-communications-sessions-at-the-end-)

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.