3.9.1Screen people before granting access
Background screening before someone gets access to CUI.
The requirement, verbatim
NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 · 3.9.1Screen individuals prior to authorizing access to organizational systems containing CUI.
NIST's discussion
Personnel security screening (vetting) activities involve the evaluation/assessment of individual’s conduct, integrity, judgment, loyalty, reliability, and stability (i.e., the trustworthiness of the individual) prior to authorizing access to organizational systems containing CUI. The screening activities reflect applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, and specific criteria established for the level of access required for assigned positions.
NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, discussion under 3.9.1. Whitespace normalised; wording unchanged.
Assessment objectives
An assessor decides each of these separately. The requirement is met only when every objective is.
- [a] individuals are screened prior to authorizing access to organizational systems containing CUI
NIST SP 800-171A, determination statements for 3.9.1.
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
- Personnel security policy
- procedures addressing personnel screening
- records of screened personnel
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Personnel with personnel security responsibilities
- personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Organizational processes for personnel screening
NIST SP 800-171A, potential assessment methods and objects for 3.9.1.
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 3 points. Not meeting this requirement subtracts 3 from your 110-point SPRS score.
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 reworded: 03.09.01 Personnel Screening. It gains organization-defined parameters.
See the Rev. 2 and Rev. 3 wording word by word, or start with the status page.
Related requirements
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)