3.1.17Protect wireless with authentication and encryption

WPA2-Enterprise or better. No open or shared-key guest networks touching CUI.

AC
Level 2
5 pt
Rev. 3: Withdrawn and incorporated elsewhere

The requirement, verbatim

NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 · 3.1.17
Protect wireless access using authentication and encryption.

Requirement 3.1.17, practice name in the CMMC assessment guide: Wireless Access Protection.

NIST's discussion

Organizations authenticate individuals and devices to help protect wireless access to the system. Special attention is given to the wide variety of devices that are part of the Internet of Things with potential wireless access to organizational systems.

NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, discussion under 3.1.17. Whitespace normalised; wording unchanged.

Assessment objectives

An assessor decides each of these separately. The requirement is met only when every objective is.

[a] wireless access to the system is protected using authentication
[b] wireless access to the system is protected using encryption

NIST SP 800-171A, determination statements for 3.1.17.

For assessors: examine, interview, test

NIST SP 800-171A names what an assessor may examine, whom they may interview, and what they may test for this requirement. Assessors select from these lists; they are not a checklist of everything you must produce.

Examine

Access control policy
system design documentation
procedures addressing wireless implementation and usage
system configuration settings and associated documentation
system security plan
system audit logs and records
other relevant documents or records

Interview

Personnel with responsibilities for managing wireless access connections
personnel with information security responsibilities
system or network administrators

Test

Mechanisms implementing wireless access protections

NIST SP 800-171A, potential assessment methods and objects for 3.1.17.

Evidence

No evidence examples are published for this requirement yet. The objectives above are what an assessor checks; evidence is whatever shows each one is true in your environment, dated and kept with your system security plan.

Scoring weight

Worth 5 points. Not meeting this requirement subtracts 5 from your 110-point SPRS score. These are the requirements with the largest effect on your posture.

DoD NIST SP 800-171 Assessment Methodology v1.2.1 weighting, as carried in the Bedrock scoring table. The score starts at 110 and subtracts the weight of every requirement not met.

In Rev. 3

Rev. 2 is what your contract requires today. A standing DoD class deviation keeps Rev. 2 in force; NIST has published Rev. 3, but it is not adopted for contracts. In Rev. 3 this requirement is withdrawn and incorporated elsewhere: 03.01.16 Wireless Access.

See the Rev. 2 and Rev. 3 wording word by word, or start with the status page.

Where this page's facts come from

Requirement text: bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/004_reference_requirements.sql#Requirement.basicRequirement@rev2
Discussion: bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/004_reference_requirements.sql#Requirement.discussion@rev2
Practice name: bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/004_reference_requirements.sql#Requirement.title@rev2 (CMMC Assessment Guide practice name)
Objectives: bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/005_reference_objectives.sql#AssessmentObjective.description@rev2
Examine, interview, test: bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/005_reference_objectives.sql#AssessmentObjective.description@rev2 ({examineGuidance, interviewGuidance, testGuidance})
Level: bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/021_fix_level1_requirements.sql#Requirement.cmmcLevel@rev2
Weight: bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:internal/cmmc/requirement_values.go#requirementValues (DoD AM v1.2.1 / eMASS L2 template v3.8)
Rev. 3 mapping: bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:docs/reference/nist-800-171-rev3/normalized/r2_r3_transition_map.json#r2_to_r3
Plain-language title and summary: editorial/CMMC Navigator.dc.html#RAW (Foxx Cyber editorial)