IA-3(1)_cryptographic-bidirectional-authentication

DevOps & Security

Authenticate [organization-defined] before establishing [organization-defined] connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically

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IA-3(1) Cryptographic Bidirectional Authentication

Enhancement of: IA-3

High-Level Description

Family: Identification and Authentication (IA) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

A local connection is a connection with a device that communicates without the use of a network. A network connection is a connection with a device that communicates through a network. A remote connection is a connection with a device that communicates through an external network. Bidirectional authentication provides stronger protection to validate the identity of other devices for connections that are of greater risk.

What to Check

Verify IA-3(1) Cryptographic Bidirectional Authentication is documented in SSP
Confirm control is operating effectively
Review evidence of continuous monitoring for IA-3(1)
Verify enhancement builds upon base control IA-3

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for IA-3(1) implementation details. Verify the organization has documented how this control is satisfied.

Step 2: Validate Implementation

# For cloud environments, use cloud-audit-mcp tools
# For on-premises, review system configurations directly

# Example: Check if account management policies exist
grep -r "account.management\|access.control" /etc/security/ 2>/dev/null

Step 3: Test Operating Effectiveness

Verify the control is actively functioning, not just documented. Check logs, configurations, and operational evidence.

Tools

Tool	Purpose	Usage
cloud-audit-mcp	Check authentication settings	`cloud_audit_iam_policies`
hackbrowser-mcp	Test authentication mechanisms	`browser_auth_test`

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Authenticate [organization-defined] before establishing [organization-defined] connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based.

Implementation Guidance

Risk Assessment

Finding	Severity	Impact
IA-3(1) Cryptographic Bidirectional Authentication not implemented	High	Identification and Authentication
IA-3(1) partially implemented	Medium	Incomplete Identification and Authentication

CWE Categories

CWE ID	Title
CWE-287	Improper Authentication

References

Checklist

Control documented in SSP
Implementation evidence collected
Operating effectiveness validated
Continuous monitoring in place
Related controls (SC-8, SC-12, SC-13) reviewed