SC-12(6)—Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management | Physical Control of Keys
IL4 Mod
IL4 High
IL5
IL6
>Control Description
Maintain physical control of cryptographic keys when stored information is encrypted by external service providers.
>DoD Impact Level Requirements
No specific parameter values or requirements for this impact level.
>Discussion
For organizations that use external service providers (e.g., cloud service or data center providers), physical control of cryptographic keys provides additional assurance that information stored by such external providers is not subject to unauthorized disclosure or modification.
>Assessment Interview Topics
Questions assessors commonly ask
Process & Governance:
- •What policies govern the implementation of physical control of keys?
- •How are system and communications protection requirements defined and maintained?
- •Who is responsible for configuring and maintaining the security controls specified in SC-12(6)?
- •What is your cryptographic key management policy?
Technical Implementation:
- •How is physical control of keys technically implemented in your environment?
- •What systems, tools, or configurations enforce this protection requirement?
- •How do you ensure that physical control of keys remains effective as the system evolves?
- •What encryption mechanisms and algorithms are used to protect data?
Evidence & Documentation:
- •What documentation demonstrates the implementation of SC-12(6)?
- •Can you provide configuration evidence or system diagrams showing this protection control?
- •What logs or monitoring data verify that this control is functioning correctly?
- •Can you demonstrate that FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography is used?
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