What this control covers
Assign a risk designation to all organizational positions, establishing screening criteria for individuals in these positions. Regularly review and update these designations to ensure they remain accurate and consistent with organizational needs. The risk designation process assesses the potential impact of a position on organizational integrity and security, guiding access to sensitive information and systems. This control supports the Governance capability within the Personnel Security 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
VM Manager (OS patch + config management) and Artifact Registry vulnerability scanning integrate with Cloud Build to block vulnerable images.
GitHub
Dependabot security updates + version updates, plus CodeQL for SAST and a renovate bot for major-version drift management.
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
policy_document— A signed, version-controlled policy stating leadership intent and the named owner.
Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Position Risk Designation.
Quick checklist
- Policy — Management / Information
- Access — Management / Information
- Information — Management / Information
- Process — Management / Information
- Security — Management / Information
- Review — Management / Information
Related articles on this site
- NIST 800-171 3.11.1 Periodically assess the risk to organizational operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), organizational assets, and individuals, resulting from the operation of organizational systems and the assoc
- CMMC 2.0 RM.2.141 Periodically assess the risk to organizational operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), organizational assets, and individuals, resulting from the operation of organizational systems and the associa
- Ensure Access Review is Set Up for External Users in Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM
- Ensure an Organizational EC2 Tag Policy Has Been Created