IA-8(2)—Acceptance Of External Authenticators
>Control Description
Accept only external authenticators that are NIST-compliant; and
Document and maintain a list of accepted external authenticators.
>Cross-Framework Mappings
>Programmatic Queries
Related Services
CLI Commands
aws cognito-idp create-identity-provider --user-pool-id POOL_ID --provider-name ExternalAuth --provider-type SAML --provider-details MetadataURL=https://external-auth.com/metadata.xmlaws cognito-idp update-identity-provider --user-pool-id POOL_ID --provider-name ExternalAuth --provider-details MetadataURL=https://external-auth.com/metadata.xml,IDPSignout=trueaws cognito-idp list-identity-providers --user-pool-id POOL_ID --query 'Providers[*].{ProviderName:ProviderName,ProviderType:ProviderType}'>Supplemental Guidance
Acceptance of only NIST-compliant external authenticators applies to organizational systems that are accessible to the public (e.g., public-facing websites). External authenticators are issued by nonfederal government entities and are compliant with SP 800-63B. Approved external authenticators meet or exceed the minimum Federal Government-wide technical, security, privacy, and organizational maturity requirements.
Meeting or exceeding Federal requirements allows Federal Government relying parties to trust external authenticators in connection with an authentication transaction at a specified authenticator assurance level.
>Assessment Interview Topics
Questions assessors commonly ask
Process & Governance:
- •What formal policies and procedures govern the implementation of IA-8(2) (Acceptance Of External Authenticators)?
- •Who are the designated roles responsible for implementing, maintaining, and monitoring IA-8(2)?
- •How frequently is the IA-8(2) policy reviewed and updated, and what triggers policy changes?
- •What governance structure ensures IA-8(2) requirements are consistently applied across all systems?
Technical Implementation:
- •Describe the specific technical mechanisms or controls used to enforce IA-8(2) requirements.
- •What automated tools, systems, or technologies are deployed to implement IA-8(2)?
- •How is IA-8(2) integrated into your system architecture and overall security posture?
- •What configuration settings, parameters, or technical specifications enforce IA-8(2) requirements?
Evidence & Documentation:
- •What documentation demonstrates the complete implementation of IA-8(2)?
- •What audit logs, records, reports, or monitoring data validate IA-8(2) compliance?
- •Can you provide evidence of periodic reviews, assessments, or testing of IA-8(2) effectiveness?
- •What artifacts would you present during a FedRAMP assessment to demonstrate IA-8(2) compliance?
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