[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17807-17808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08554]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Defense Acquisition Regulations System

[Docket DARS-2018-0023]


DoD Guidance for Reviewing System Security Plans and the NIST SP 
800-171 Security Requirements Not Yet Implemented

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD).

ACTION: Notice and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: DoD has drafted guidance for procurements requiring 
implementation of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
Special Publication (SP) 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified 
Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations, and is making the 
draft guidance available to the public.

DATES: Comments are due by May 31, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket DARS-2018-
0023, by any of the following methods:
    [cir] Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Search for ``DARS-2018-0023.'' Select ``Comment Now'' and follow the 
instructions provided to submit a comment. Please include ``DARS-2018-
0023'' on any attached documents.
    [cir] Mail: Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy, Attn: Ms. 
Mary Thomas, OUSD(A&S) DPAP/PDI, Room 3C958, 3060 Defense Pentagon, 
Washington, DC 20301-3060.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary Thomas, DPAP/PDI, at 
[email protected] or by mail at: Defense Procurement and 
Acquisition Policy, Attn: Ms. Mary Thomas, OUSD(A&S) DPAP/PDI, Room 
3C958, 3060 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-3060.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement clause 
252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber 
Incident Reporting, requires contractors to provide ``adequate 
security'' for ``covered defense information'' that is processed, 
stored, or transmitted on the contractor's internal information system 
or network. To provide adequate security, the contractor must, at a 
minimum, implement NIST SP 800-171, ``Protecting Controlled 
Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations.'' 
NIST SP 800-171 states that in order to demonstrate implementation or 
planned implementation of the security requirements in NIST SP 800-171, 
nonfederal organizations should describe in a System Security Plan how 
the specified security requirements are met, or how organizations plan 
to meet the requirements, and should develop plans of action that 
describe how any unimplemented security requirements will be met and 
how any planned mitigations will be implemented. NIST SP 800-171 
further states that, when requested, the System Security Plan and any 
associated Plans of Action for any planned implementations or 
mitigations should be submitted to the responsible Federal agency/
contracting officer to demonstrate the nonfederal organization's 
implementation or planned implementation of the security requirements.
    DoD developed the document ``DoD Guidance for Reviewing System 
Security Plans and the NIST SP 800-171 Security Requirements Not Yet 
Implemented'' to facilitate the consistent review and understanding of 
System Security Plans and Plans of Action, the impact that NIST SP 800-
171 Security Requirements that are ``not yet implemented'' have on an 
information system, and to assist in prioritizing the implementation of 
security requirements not yet implemented. The document ``Assessing the 
State of a Contractor's Internal Information System in a Procurement 
Action'' illustrates how ``DoD Guidance for Reviewing System Security 
Plans and the NIST SP 800-171 Security Requirements Not Yet 
Implemented'' may be used during a procurement for which DoD must 
assess the state of a contractor's internal information system.
    ``DoD Guidance for Reviewing System Security Plans and the NIST SP 
800-171 Security Requirements Not Yet Implemented'' provides a ``DoD 
Value'' to assess the risk that a security requirement left 
unimplemented has on an information system, to assess the risk of a 
security requirement with an identified deficiency, and to address the 
priority for which an unimplemented requirement should be implemented. 
The guidance also addresses the method(s) to implement the security 
requirements, and, when applicable, provides clarifying information for 
security requirements that are frequently misunderstood.
    The matrix ``Assessing the State of a Contractor's Internal 
Information System in a Procurement Action'' is provided to illustrate 
how DoD may choose to assess submitted System Security Plans and Plans 
of Action in procurement actions that require the implementation of 
NIST SP 800-171.

[[Page 17808]]

    To access the documents entitled ``DoD Guidance for Reviewing 
System Security Plans and the NIST SP 800-171 Security Requirements Not 
Yet Implemented'' and ``Assessing the State of a Contractor's Internal 
Information System in a Procurement Action,'' go to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov, search for the docket 
``DARS-2018-0023'' click ``Open Docket,'' and view ``Supporting 
Documents.''

Jennifer Lee Hawes,
Regulatory Control Officer, Defense Acquisition Regulations System.
[FR Doc. 2018-08554 Filed 4-23-18; 8:45 am]
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