3.13.9Drop connections when sessions end in Rev. 3
Reworded: 03.13.09 Network Disconnect. Gains organization-defined parameters.
Status as of 2026-09-08
Rev. 2 is what a contract requires today. DFARS 252.204-7012 and the CMMC rule at 32 CFR 170 point at NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, and a standing DoD class deviation keeps it there. NIST has published Rev. 3, but publishing a revision does not change an obligation. A move to Rev. 3 would arrive through the Department's reform process and formal rulemaking, a change to that deviation or an amendment to the rule, not through publication. The Department has published its organization-defined parameter values for Rev. 3 in preparation; that is groundwork, not adoption.
Side by side
Rev. 2 · in force 3.13.9 Connections Termination
Assessment objectives · 800-171A
- [a] a time period of inactivity or session termination criteria triggering the termination of network connections associated with communications sessions is defined
- [b] network connections associated with communications sessions are terminated at the end of the sessions or after the defined period of inactivity
Rev. 3 · not adopted 03.13.09 Network Disconnect
Terminate the network connection associated with a communications session at the end of the session or after [Assignment: organization-defined time period] of inactivity.
Determination statements · 800-171A Rev. 3
- 03.13.09 the network connection associated with a communications session is terminated at the end of the session or after <A.03.13.09.ODP[01]: time period> of inactivity.
Organization-defined parameters
- A.03.13.09.ODP[01] the time period of inactivity after which the system terminates a network connection associated with a communications session is defined.
Draws on Rev. 2 3.13.9.
Left: NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 and 800-171A, verbatim. Right: NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 and 800-171A Rev. 3, verbatim, with organization-defined blanks highlighted.
Word by word
The Rev. 2 requirement compared with its Rev. 3 successor. A mechanical comparison of the two verbatim texts, not an interpretation.
removed in Rev. 3 added in Rev. 3
Rev. 2 3.13.9 → Rev. 3 03.13.09 Network Disconnect
15 words kept, 5 removed, 8 added. Rev. 3 statement labels omitted for the comparison.
What NIST says changed
- New security requirement title
- Added new ODP: time period of inactivity to terminate the network connection
NIST, SP 800-171 Rev. 2 to Rev. 3 change analysis, class “Minor change”. At adoption, Bedrock files this under “Review”.
NIST's Rev. 3 discussion for 03.13.09
This requirement applies to internal and external networks. Terminating network connections associated with communications sessions includes deallocating TCP/IP addresses or port pairs at the operating system level or deallocating networking assignments at the application level if multiple application sessions are using a single network connection. Time periods of inactivity may be established by organizations and include time periods by type of network access or for specific network accesses.
What this means for you now
Nothing changes in what you are assessed against until a class deviation or a published rule adopts Rev. 3. Keep meeting 3.13.9 as written in Rev. 2, and if you already choose a value for the parameters above in practice, write it down where your system security plan can find it.
Bedrock CMMC shows this same comparison against your own package, with your current status on the Rev. 2 side, so the day adoption lands the migration is a review, not a rewrite.
Where this page's facts come from
- Rev. 2 text and objectives
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/004_reference_requirements.sql#Requirement.basicRequirement@rev2; bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/005_reference_objectives.sql#AssessmentObjective.description@rev2
- Mapping and change class
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:docs/reference/nist-800-171-rev3/normalized/r2_r3_transition_map.json#r2_to_r3
- Rev. 3 03.13.09
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:docs/reference/nist-800-171-rev3/normalized/rev3.json#requirements[]