RMF Control AC-15: Automated Marking is a cybersecurity control that helps to protect information systems by automatically marking sensitive data. This control is important because it can help to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and ensure that sensitive data is handled appropriately.
Automated Marking Requirements
The RMF Control AC-15: Automated Marking requirements are specified in NIST Special Publication 800-53, Revision 5. The requirements state that the organization must:
- Automatically mark sensitive data when it is created or updated;
- Maintain a list of sensitive data types that must be marked;
- Implement controls to prevent sensitive data from being marked incorrectly;
- Monitor and audit the marking of sensitive data to identify and respond to suspicious activity.
Automated Marking Best Practices
In addition to the RMF Control AC-15: Automated Marking requirements, there are a number of best practices that organizations can follow to improve their automated marking posture. These best practices include:
- Using a centralized system to manage automated marking policies and procedures;
- Implementing a risk-based approach to automated marking. For example, you may want to focus your automated marking efforts on the most sensitive data types;
- Monitoring and auditing the marking of sensitive data to identify and respond to suspicious activity;
- Educating users on the importance of automated marking and how to protect sensitive data.
Benefits of Automated Marking
Automated marking can provide a number of benefits to organizations, including:
- Improved security posture: Automated marking can help to improve the organization’s security posture by reducing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data.
- Reduced risk of data breaches: Automated marking can help to reduce the risk of data breaches by making it more difficult for unauthorized users to access sensitive data.
- Increased user awareness: Automated marking can help to increase user awareness of sensitive data and how to protect it.
- Improved compliance: Automated marking can help organizations to comply with a variety of security regulations.
How to Implement Automated Marking
There are a number of ways to implement automated marking. One common approach is to use a data loss prevention (DLP) solution. DLP solutions can be used to identify and protect sensitive data, including automatically marking sensitive data.
Another approach to implementing automated marking is to use a cloud-based service. There are a number of cloud-based services that offer automated marking capabilities. These services can be relatively easy to implement and use.
Example of Automated Marking
One example of automated marking is when a company uses a DLP solution to automatically mark all customer data as confidential. This helps to ensure that customer data is handled appropriately and that it is not accessed by unauthorized users.
Another example of automated marking is when a government agency uses a cloud-based service to automatically mark all classified data. This helps to ensure that classified data is protected from unauthorized access.
Conclusion
RMF Control AC-15: Automated Marking is an important cybersecurity control that helps to protect information systems by automatically marking sensitive data. By following the RMF Control AC-15: Automated Marking requirements and best practices, organizations can help to improve their security posture, reduce the risk of data breaches, increase user awareness, and improve compliance.
Additional Tips for Implementing and Enforcing Automated Marking
- Use a centralized system to manage automated marking policies and procedures. This will help to ensure that automated marking is implemented and enforced consistently across the organization.
- Implement a risk-based approach to automated marking. This will help to ensure that automated marking efforts are focused on the most sensitive data types and the areas of greatest risk.
- Monitor and audit the marking of sensitive data. This will help to identify and respond to suspicious activity, such as attempts to mark sensitive data incorrectly.
- Educate users on the importance of automated marking and how to protect sensitive data. This can be done through training programs, documentation, and other resources.
By following these tips, organizations can help to ensure that their automated marking is implemented and enforced effectively.