NIST800 171 · Control 3.1.6 · Priority: critical · Component: Access Control

What this control covers

This control restricts privileged accounts to specific personnel or roles and requires users with privileged accounts to use non-privileged accounts for non-security tasks. This ensures that only authorized individuals have access to security functions or sensitive information, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access or misuse of privileged capabilities. This control supports the Privileged Access Management System capability within the Access Control (3.1) family.

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

Use Cloud Identity (or Workspace) as the IdP and IAM for resource access. Grant roles at the lowest scope (project > folder > org) using Workload Identity Federation for CI/CD and service accounts for workloads — never download service-account keys when avoidable. Enable Policy Intelligence recommenders to right-size privileges and detect dormant identities.

Google Workspace

Enforce 2-Step Verification (preferably hardware keys for admins) for the entire org, set session length to ≤ 12 hours, and disable less-secure-app access. Use Context-Aware Access levels to restrict admin sign-in by IP/device posture. Provision and de-provision users via SCIM from your HRIS so leavers lose access on day one.

GitHub

Require SSO + SCIM from your IdP on the organisation; enforce 2FA org-wide and use fine-grained PATs (or, better, GitHub Apps) instead of classic tokens. Restrict outside collaborators, require signed commits on protected branches, and use OIDC from Actions to short-lived AWS/GCP/Azure credentials rather than stored secrets.

Zoho Mail

Make two-factor authentication mandatory for all users (TOTP, OneAuth, or YubiKey) in Admin Console → Security. Configure SAML SSO against your IdP and disable password-based logins for admins. Use role-based privileges (Admin / Spam Moderator / Mail Account Admin) and review the Login history report monthly for anomalies.

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

  • identity_scan — 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.

Identity analytics (Okta, SailPoint, Access Analyzer) demonstrates least-privilege. Focus: Least Privilege - Privileged Accounts.

Quick checklist

  • Access — Management / Privilege
  • Information — Management / Privilege
  • Least — Management / Privilege
  • Access Control — Management / Privilege
  • Authorized — Management / Privilege
  • System — Management / Privilege

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