NIST 800-171 - Session Termination (3.1.11)


Overview:
Terminate (automatically) a user session after a defined condition.


Action Items:
3.1.11[a]
Determine if: conditions requiring a user session to terminate are defined.


3.1.11[b]
Determine if: a user session is automatically terminated after any of the defined conditions occur.


POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT METHODS AND OBJECTS


1
Examine: Access control policy; procedures addressing session termination; system design documentation; system security plan; system configuration settings and associated documentation; list of conditions or trigger events requiring session disconnect; system audit logs and records; other relevant documents or records].


2
Interview: System or network administrators; personnel with information security responsibilities; system developers].


3
Test: Mechanisms implementing user session termination].


Related Documents (document name and content will vary by organization):
1) Access control policy
2) procedures addressing session termination
3) system design documentation
4) system security plan
5) system configuration settings and associated documentation
6) list of conditions or trigger events requiring session disconnect
7) system audit logs and records
8) other relevant documents or records


Additional Guidance:
This requirement addresses the termination of user-initiated logical sessions in contrast to the termination of network connections that are associated with communications sessions (i.e., disconnecting from the network). A logical session (for local, network, and remote access) is initiated whenever a user (or process acting on behalf of a user) accesses an organizational system. Such user sessions can be terminated (and thus terminate user access) without terminating network sessions. Session termination terminates all processes associated with a user’s logical session except those processes that are specifically created by the user (i.e., session owner) to continue after the session is terminated. Conditions or trigger events requiring automatic session termination can include, for example, organization-defined periods of user inactivity, targeted responses to certain types of incidents, and time-of-day restrictions on system use.



Article ID: 116
Created: September 26, 2022
Last Updated: September 27, 2022
Author: Matthew Burdick

Online URL: http://www.compliancewiki.org/article/nist-800-171-session-termination-3-1-11-116.html