SI-16_memory-protection

DevOps & Security

Implement the following controls to protect the system memory from unauthorized code execution: [organization-defined].

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/CyberStrikeus/CyberStrike/blob/HEAD/.cyberstrike/skill/NIST/SP800-53_rev5/SI_system-and-information-integrity/SI-16_memory-protection/SKILL.md

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SI-16 Memory Protection

High-Level Description

Family: System and Information Integrity (SI) Framework: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Some adversaries launch attacks with the intent of executing code in non-executable regions of memory or in memory locations that are prohibited. Controls employed to protect memory include data execution prevention and address space layout randomization. Data execution prevention controls can either be hardware-enforced or software-enforced with hardware enforcement providing the greater strength of mechanism.

What to Check

Verify SI-16 Memory Protection is documented in SSP
Confirm control is operating effectively
Review evidence of continuous monitoring for SI-16

How to Test

Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for SI-16 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 integrity monitoring	`cloud_audit_monitoring`
AWS CLI	Review GuardDuty/Inspector	`aws guardduty list-detectors`

Remediation Guide

Control Statement

Implement the following controls to protect the system memory from unauthorized code execution: [organization-defined].

Implementation Guidance

Risk Assessment

Finding	Severity	Impact
SI-16 Memory Protection not implemented	High	System and Information Integrity
SI-16 partially implemented	Medium	Incomplete System and Information Integrity

CWE Categories

CWE ID	Title
CWE-20	Improper Input Validation

References

Checklist

Control documented in SSP
Implementation evidence collected
Operating effectiveness validated
Continuous monitoring in place
Related controls (AC-25, SC-3, SI-7) reviewed