Policy and Procedures IA-1

Source: NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5, Identification and Authentication family NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5. The baseline shows the lowest SP 800-53B baseline (Low / Moderate / High) this control appears in NIST SP 800-53B.

Control guide — plain-English, per NIST SP 800-53

IA-1 (Policy and Procedures) is the written foundation for the whole IA (Identification and Authentication) family: a policy that states how the organization identifies and authenticates people, services, and devices, plus the procedures that put that policy into practice. It also names who owns the policy and sets a schedule to review and update it. It sits in the Low baseline, so it applies to every system.

What good looks like

• Write an identification and authentication policy that covers purpose, scope, roles, responsibilities, and how compliance is enforced.
• Back the policy with procedures — the actual steps for issuing identifiers, setting passwords, and handling logins.
• Name an official who owns the policy and procedures and keeps them current.
• Share the policy and procedures with the people who have to follow them, not just file them away.
• Review and update on a schedule, and also after a big change — a breach, a new system, or a new regulation.

Framework mapping

• NIST CSF 2.0 — GV.PO-01 — Policy for managing cybersecurity risks is established and communicated

How to move it toward Implemented

• Draft a one- to two-page identification and authentication policy — purpose, scope, roles, and a review cadence (for example, yearly) — and store it where the team can find it.
• Write the matching procedures: how accounts and identifiers get issued, the password rules, and how logins are handled on the server.
• Assign an owner by name and add a review date to the document so it does not go stale.
• Attach the signed, dated policy as hardening evidence on the asset, naming IA-1 in the Requirement field — that moves it from ‘To assess’ toward ‘Completed’.