CP-7(1)—Alternate Processing Site | Separation from Primary Site

IL4 Mod

IL4 High

IL5

IL6

>Control Description

Identify an alternate processing site that is sufficiently separated from the primary processing site to reduce susceptibility to the same threats.

>DoD Impact Level Requirements

Additional Requirements and Guidance

CP-7 (1) Guidance: The service provider may determine what is considered a sufficient degree of separation between the primary and alternate processing sites, based on the types of threats that are of concern. For one particular type of threat (i.e., hostile cyber attack), the degree of separation between sites will be less relevant.

>Discussion

Threats that affect alternate processing sites are defined in organizational assessments of risk and include natural disasters, structural failures, hostile attacks, and errors of omission or commission. Organizations determine what is considered a sufficient degree of separation between primary and alternate processing sites based on the types of threats that are of concern. For threats such as hostile attacks, the degree of separation between sites is less relevant.

>Programmatic Queries

Beta

Related Services

AWS EC2

AWS Auto Scaling

AWS AppConfig

CLI Commands

Create AMI from primary instance

aws ec2 create-image --instance-id i-123456 --name cp-7-1-ami --no-reboot

Launch instance in alternate region from AMI

aws ec2 run-instances --image-id ami-12345678 --instance-type t3.medium --region us-west-2

Create Auto Scaling group in alternate region

aws autoscaling create-auto-scaling-group --auto-scaling-group-name cp-7-1-asg --launch-template LaunchTemplateName=primary-template,Version='$Latest' --availability-zones us-west-2a us-west-2b

Get deployment status across regions

aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=tag:Environment,Values=production --region us-west-2 --query 'Reservations[*].Instances[*].[InstanceId,State.Name]'

Open AWS Console Documentation

>Related Controls

RA-3

>Assessment Interview Topics

Questions assessors commonly ask

Process & Governance:

•What formal policies and procedures govern the implementation of CP-7(1) (Separation From Primary Site)?
•Who are the designated roles responsible for implementing, maintaining, and monitoring CP-7(1)?
•How frequently is the CP-7(1) policy reviewed and updated, and what triggers policy changes?
•What governance structure ensures CP-7(1) requirements are consistently applied across all systems?

Technical Implementation:

•Describe the specific technical mechanisms or controls used to enforce CP-7(1) requirements.
•What automated tools, systems, or technologies are deployed to implement CP-7(1)?
•How is CP-7(1) integrated into your system architecture and overall security posture?
•What configuration settings, parameters, or technical specifications enforce CP-7(1) requirements?

Evidence & Documentation:

•What documentation demonstrates the complete implementation of CP-7(1)?
•What audit logs, records, reports, or monitoring data validate CP-7(1) compliance?
•Can you provide evidence of periodic reviews, assessments, or testing of CP-7(1) effectiveness?
•What artifacts would you present during a FedRAMP assessment to demonstrate CP-7(1) compliance?

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