3.4.2Enforce your settings in Rev. 3
Reworded: 03.04.02 Configuration Settings. 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 3.4.2 Security Configuration Enforcement
Assessment objectives · 800-171A
- [a] security configuration settings for information technology products employed in the system are established and included as part of the baseline configuration
- [b] security configuration settings for information technology products employed in the system are enforced
Rev. 3 · not adopted 03.04.02 Configuration Settings
a. Establish, document, and implement the following configuration settings for the system that reflect the most restrictive mode consistent with operational requirements: [Assignment: organization-defined configuration settings].
b. Identify, document, and approve any deviations from established configuration settings.
Determination statements · 800-171A Rev. 3
- 03.04.02.a[01] the following configuration settings for the system that reflect the most restrictive mode consistent with operational requirements are established and documented: <A.03.04.02.ODP[01]: configuration settings>.
- 03.04.02.a[02] the following configuration settings for the system are implemented: <A.03.04.02.ODP[01]: configuration settings>.
- 03.04.02.b[01] any deviations from established configuration settings are identified and documented.
- 03.04.02.b[02] any deviations from established configuration settings are approved.
Organization-defined parameters
- A.03.04.02.ODP[01] configuration settings for the system that reflect the most restrictive mode consistent with operational requirements are defined.
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 3.4.2 → Rev. 3 03.04.02 Configuration Settings
5 words kept, 9 removed, 30 added. Rev. 3 statement labels omitted for the comparison.
What NIST says changed
- New security requirement title
- Aligned with SP 800-53, Rev 5 to provide more comprehensive detail on and foundational tasks for implementing configuration settings
- Added new ODP: configuration settings
NIST, SP 800-171 Rev. 2 to Rev. 3 change analysis, class “Significant change”. At adoption, Bedrock files this under “Rework”.
NIST's Rev. 3 discussion for 03.04.02
Configuration settings are the set of parameters that can be changed in hardware, software, or firmware components of the system and that affect the security posture or functionality of the system. Security-related configuration settings can be defined for systems (e.g., servers, workstations), input and output devices (e.g., scanners, copiers, printers), network components (e.g., firewalls, routers, gateways, voice and data switches, wireless access points, network appliances, sensors), operating systems, middleware, and applications. Security parameters are those parameters that impact the security state of the system, including the parameters required to satisfy other security requirements. Security parameters include registry settings; account, file, and directory permission settings (i.e., privileges); and settings for functions, ports, protocols, and remote connections. Organizations establish organization-wide configuration settings and subsequently derive specific configuration settings for the system. The established settings become part of the system’s configuration baseline. Common secure configurations (also referred to as security configuration checklists, lockdown and hardening guides, security reference guides, and security technical implementation guides) provide recognized, standardized, and established benchmarks that stipulate secure configuration settings for specific information technology platforms/products and instructions for configuring those system components to meet operational requirements. Common secure configurations can be developed by a variety of organizations, including information technology product developers, manufacturers, vendors, consortia, academia, industry, federal agencies, and other organizations in the public and private sectors.
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 3.4.2 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 03.04.02
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:docs/reference/nist-800-171-rev3/normalized/rev3.json#requirements[]