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10.8.2  IT Security Roles and Responsibilities

10.8.2.1  (03-23-2007)
Policy

  1. In accordance with IRM 10.8.1Information Technology (IT) Security, Policy and Guidance, the IRS shall implement security roles and responsibilities in accordance with federal laws and IT security guidelines that are appropriate for specific operations and functions.

10.8.2.1.1  (03-23-2007)
Purpose

  1. This IRM establishes the IT security roles and responsibilities for the IRS.

10.8.2.1.2  (03-23-2007)
Overview

  1. Department of Treasury Directive Publication (TD P) 85-01 and federal regulations require that senior agency officials establish an IT security program, which includes the identification of IT security roles and responsibilities.

10.8.2.1.3  (03-23-2007)
Scope

  1. The IT security roles and responsibilities delineated in this IRM, applies to all IRS business, operating, and functional units.

10.8.2.1.4  (03-23-2007)
IRM Section Topics

  1. This manual contains information on the following topic areas:

    • Roles and Responsibilities

    • Deviations

    • Glossary ( See Exhibit 10.8.2-1.)

    • References ( See Exhibit 10.8.2-2.)

10.8.2.1.5  (03-23-2007)
Authority

  1. IRM 10.8.1, Information Technology (IT) Security Policy and Guidance, establishes the security program and the policy framework for the IRS.

10.8.2.2  (03-23-2007)
Roles and Responsibilities

  1. The IRS shall implement IT security roles and responsibilities that ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its systems, applications, and information.

  2. The following roles and responsibilities are based on Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Department of Treasury guidance and policies.

10.8.2.2.1  (03-23-2007)
Agency Head

  1. FISMA requires the head of each federal agency to provide information security protections commensurate with the risk and magnitude of the harm that may result from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of its information and information systems. The protection should apply not only within the agency, but also within contractor or other organizations working on behalf of the agency.

  2. As the Agency Head, FISMA assigns the Commissioner responsibilities for:

    1. Providing information security protections commensurate with the risk and magnitude of the harm resulting from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of: 1) Information collected or maintained by or on behalf of the agency; and 2) Information systems used or operated by an agency or by a contractor of an agency or other organization on behalf of an agency;

    2. Complying with the requirements of this policy and related policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines, including: 1) Information security standards promulgated under the U.S. Code Section 11331 of Title 40; and 2) Information security standards and guidelines for national security systems issued in accordance with law and as directed by the President; and

    3. Ensuring information security management processes are integrated with agency strategic and operational planning processes.

    4. Ensuring that the agency has trained personnel sufficient to assist the agency in complying with the requirements of this policy and related policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines.

  3. In accordance with FISMA the Agency Head shall:

    1. Ensure that senior agency officials provide information security, for the information and information systems that support the operations and assets under their control;

    2. Assess risk and magnitude of the harm that could result from the unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of such information or information systems;

    3. Determine the levels of information security appropriate to protect such information and information systems in accordance with standards and policies for information security classifications and related requirements;

    4. Implement policies and procedures to cost-effectively reduce risks to an acceptable level; and

    5. Periodically test and evaluate information security controls and techniques to ensure that they are effectively implemented.

  4. In accordance with FISMA the Agency Head shall also:

    1. Delegate to the agency Chief Information Officer (CIO), established under Section 3506 of the FISMA Act (or comparable official in an agency not covered by such section), the authority to ensure compliance with the requirements imposed on the agency.

    2. Ensure that the agency CIO, in coordination with other senior agency officials, reports annually to the agency head on the effectiveness of the agency information security program to include progress of remedial actions.

  5. In accordance with FISMA, through delegation by the Agency Head, the CIO shall:

    1. Delegate to the Senior Agency Information Officer, the authority to carry out the CIO's responsibilities under this section.

  6. In accordance with FISMA, through delegation by the CIO, the SAISO shall:

    1. Possess professional qualifications, including training and experience, required to administer the functions described under this section;

    2. Have information security duties be the primary duty; and

    3. Head an office with the mission and resources to assist in ensuring agency compliance with this section;

    4. Develop, document, and implement an agency wide information security program to provide security for all systems, networks, and data that support the operations of the organization;

    5. Develop and maintain information security policies, procedures, and control techniques to address all applicable requirements;

    6. Train and oversee personnel with significant responsibilities for information security with respect to such responsibilities; and

    7. Assist senior agency officials concerning their responsibilities.

10.8.2.2.2  (03-23-2007)
Chief Information Officer (CIO)

  1. The CIO, in accordance with NIST and TD P 85-01, is responsible for designating a Point of Contact (POC) to coordinate all policy issues related to information systems security including: computer security, telecommunications security, operational security, certificate management, electronic authentication, Disaster Recovery (DR), and critical infrastructure protection related to cyber threats.

  2. In accordance with TD P 85-01, the CIO (or designee) shall:

    1. Perform annual FISMA activity reviews;

    2. Review the results of the annual FISMA activity reviews, including any weaknesses for inclusion in the IRS' Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms); and

    3. Coordinate with the Designated Accrediting Authorities (DAAs) regarding the security posture of IT resources.

  3. In accordance with NIST guidance, the CIO shall:

    1. Designate a Senior Agency Information Security Officer (SAISO) who shall carry out the CIO’s responsibilities for system and program security assessments;

    2. Develop and maintain an agency-wide information security program including information security policies, procedures, and control techniques to address all applicable requirements;

    3. Manage the identification, implementation, and assessment of common security controls;

    4. Ensure compliance with applicable information security requirements;

    5. Ensure that personnel with significant responsibilities for system and program security assessments are trained;

    6. Assist senior agency officials with their responsibilities for system and program security assessments;

    7. Report annually to the agency head on the effectiveness of the agency information security program, including progress of remedial actions;

    8. Encourage the maximum reuse and sharing of security-related information including: 1) Threat and vulnerability assessments; 2) Risk assessments; 3) Results from common security control assessments; and 4) Any other general information that may be of assistance to information system owners and their supporting security staffs.

    9. Determine the appropriate allocation of resources dedicated to the protection of the agency’s information systems based on organizational priorities.

10.8.2.2.3  (03-23-2007)
Senior Agency Information Security Officer (SAISO)

  1. The SAISO is the agency official responsible for serving as the CIO’s primary liaison to the agency’s information system owners and information system security officer’s. At the IRS, the Chief, MA&SS is the Senior Agency Information Security Officer (SAISO).

  2. In accordance with NIST and TD P 85-01, the SAISO shall:

    1. Ensure that IT system C&A reports and risk analyses are conducted by each DAA;

    2. Review IRS business cases and budget submissions to ensure that IT security requirements are addressed and adequately resourced;

    3. Establish an IRS IT security oversight program to ensure that the security procedures and requirements are in compliance with Department of Treasury and IRS policies and standards;

    4. Conduct security audits, verifications and acceptance checks and maintain documentation on the results;

    5. Provide oversight to Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms) processes, for all IT security weaknesses and provide a quarterly status to Department of Treasury through the IRS CIO;

    6. Coordinate the implementation of logical access controls into operating systems, relational database management systems (RDBMS), remote terminals and IT applications;

    7. Provide IT and facility technical and nontechnical (e.g., physical and personnel security) certification support to any Information System Owner;

    8. Prepare and submit a written report for all technical security exceptions. The report shall outline the risks and vulnerabilities and/or advantages that could result from granting the exception or from implementing any alternative. Maintain a file of all approved IT facility security-related exceptions;

    9. Ensure that risk analyses are conducted at least every 3 years or when major changes occur for IT systems/application processing sensitive information;

    10. Ensure that contingency plans for IT systems processing sensitive information are developed, maintained and tested;

    11. Develop each certification letter citing risks and mitigations along with Authority to Operate (ATO) or Interim Authority to Operate (IATO) recommendation to the DAA;

    12. Review and approve security Certification & Accreditation (C&A) package artifacts;

    13. Be a voting member on the Configuration Control Board (CCB) for the IRS' IT architecture;

    14. Review contract vehicles to ensure they address appropriate security measures; and

    15. Define and implement performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of their IT security programs.

  3. The SAISO shall maintain an inventory of major applications and GSSs. This inventory shall contain, at a minimum, the system name, platform and type (major application or GSS); classification level if appropriate; its interfaces and interconnections; whether it is an IT critical asset; and the dates for the last vulnerability test, risk assessment and C&A.

10.8.2.2.3.1  (03-23-2007)
Certification Agent

  1. The certification agent is an individual, group, or organization responsible for conducting a security certification, or comprehensive assessment of the management, operational, and technical security controls in an information system to determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly, operating as intended, and producing the desired outcome with respect to meeting the security requirements for the system. This role is assigned to Chief, Mission Assurance and Security Services (MA&SS).

  2. The Chief, MA&SS is responsible for conducting a security certification, or comprehensive assessment of the management, operational, and technical security controls in an information system to determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly, operating as intended, and producing the desired outcome with respect to meeting the security requirements for the system.

  3. In accordance with NIST, the Chief, MA&SS shall:

    1. Provide corrective actions to reduce or eliminate vulnerabilities in the information system.

    2. Be independent from the persons directly responsible for the development of the information system and the day-to-day operation of the system.

    3. Be independent of those individuals responsible for correcting security deficiencies identified during the security certification.

10.8.2.2.4  (03-23-2007)
Senior Management/Executives

  1. Circular A-130, Appendix III, Security of Federal Automated Information Resources, states executive agencies within the federal government shall:

    1. Plan for security in all phases of the system life cycle;

    2. Ensure appropriate officials are assigned security responsibility;

    3. Review security controls annually (i.e., FISMA annual security program review); and

    4. Formally authorize (accredit) processing prior to operations (as a Designated Approving Authority (DAA)) and periodically thereafter.

  2. FISMA, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Department of Treasury FISMA guidance specify that senior agency or program officials are subordinate to the Commissioner and shall be responsible for:

    1. Exercising oversight to ensure that a program manager is assigned for each system;

    2. Exercising oversight over Security Awareness Training and Education (ATE) funding; and

    3. Annually validating and updating the master inventory of information systems.

  3. The DAA for a General Support System (GSS) or major application shall be a senior executive or senior management official.

  4. Senior officials shall be responsible for balancing the mission and business priorities versus any security risks that might be applicable and formally authorizing the operation of an information system; (this is known as security accreditation).

10.8.2.2.5  (03-23-2007)
Information System Owner

  1. The Information System Owner is the agency official responsible for the overall procurement, development, integration, modification, and operation and maintenance of the information system. At the IRS, the Information System Owner is the Business and Functional Unit Owner.

  2. In accordance with NIST, FISMA and TD P 85-01, the Business and Functional Unit Owner shall:

    1. Be responsible for all funding and ultimate prioritization of activities within their respective units.

    2. Develop organizational assignments and operational procedures to implement the roles and responsibilities defined in this policy.

    3. Be the official responsible for the overall procurement, development, integration, modification, operation, and maintenance of an information system or application.

    4. Be knowledgeable in the nature of the information and process supported by the application and in the management, operational, and technical controls used to protect it.

    5. In accordance with FISMA requirements, include security requirements in their capital planning and investment business cases.

    6. Ensure security requirements are adequately funded and documented in accordance with OMB Circular A-11.

    7. Serve as or designate a "user representative" ; which represents the operational interests of the user community and serve as the liaison for that community throughout the system development life cycle.

    8. Own the business case, which is a product of the ELC, and formally propose the continuation of the project submitting the related funding requests;

    9. Initiate and manage C&A activities to ensure they are performed appropriately and timely;

    10. Plan and coordinate activities within his/her organization required to complete C&A, FISMA reviews, and POA&M development;

    11. Ensure full and current documentation of the information system in the system security plan and other associated C&A documentation;

    12. Ensure submission of all C&A documents to MA&SS;

    13. Complete the annual review of system security controls for the annual FISMA system security program review.

    14. Conduct annual testing of the system;

    15. Combine and review all security weaknesses from the self-assessment, risk assessment, TIGTA audits, GAO audits and internal reviews into the POA&M;

    16. Coordinate the completion of the Self-Assessment Questionnaire with appropriate organizations and provide the consolidated assessment to the PMO;

    17. Propose changes to the information systems including hardware, software, and surrounding environment as part of the POA&M activities;

    18. Ensure risks to IRS operations and assets are identified, documented, assessed, and appropriately managed (See IRM 10.8.1 for certification);

    19. Assess the business impact of a weakness occurring as part of the POA&M activities;

    20. Determine the corrective actions to mitigate the weakness and the associated cost, time, and resources;

    21. Based on the threat, probability of occurrence, and business and technical impact, consider the cost, time and resources necessary to mitigate and prioritize the weaknesses into High (H), Medium (M), Low (L) categories and notate on the POA&M as appropriate;

    22. Implement corrective actions to mitigate weaknesses assigned to the BO;

    23. Track the mitigation of the weaknesses in the POA&M through status updates, changes to milestones and additional comments;

    24. Test and validate the effectiveness of the corrective actions;

    25. Plan and manage the development and execution of the POA&M to ensure all identified security weaknesses are documented, assessed, prioritized, and managed;

    26. Provide quarterly POA&M status reports to PMO for submission to MA&SS;

    27. Implement and manage a change control process in conjunction with MITS to ensure changes to the system or its environment are appropriately documented, authorized, tested, and implemented;

    28. Ensure least-privilege system access controls and administration are in compliance with policy;

    29. Ensure that appropriate technical, administrative, physical, and personnel security requirements in specifications for the acquisition or operation of information systems are reviewed and approved by the management official responsible for security at the facility operating the information system; and

    30. Confirm the required deliverables of the C&A package with MA&SS.

  3. The IRS Business and Functional Unit Owner’s (including MITS) are responsible for the information security of their Contractor Systems. In accordance with FISMA, the Business and Functional Unit Owner’s shall:

    1. Conduct an annual FISMA Contractor Review of the contractor’s facility and systems.

    2. Perform continuous monitoring and a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) of their FISMA Contractor Systems in accordance with NIST 800-37 and 800-53 guidance

    3. Provide funding to conduct the annual FISMA Contractor reviews.

  4. For Disaster Recovery (DR) / Business Resumption (BR), the Business and Functional Unit Owner shall cooperate with the other business units and the area/site managers to develop, maintain, and validate effective, comprehensive plans. At a minimum, the Owner shall coordinate with other appropriate business units and shall be responsible to:

    1. Fully describe and document the information system in the ITCP;

    2. Clearly define system and application priorities, subsequent needs, and related risk acceptance or avoidance for recovery and BR, accounting for possible degrading of computer processing capabilities;

    3. Acquire and transport replacement equipment required to restore operations;

    4. Acquire space for processing operation to include occupation of an alternate processing facility when necessary; and

    5. Estimate supplies and office equipment needed to support a computer processing operation occupying an alternate processing facility when appropriate.

  5. For additional DR/BR requirements, the system owner shall:

    1. Determine recovery needs and time frames needed for business restoration through comprehensive business impact analysis evaluations;

    2. Determine what data needs to be recovered and the priority order for recovery;

    3. Develop DR requirements during the development phase of all new systems and throughout any production system upgrades;

    4. Determine what data needs to be recovered and the priority order for recovery;

    5. Provide the funding for the DR equipment/space/storage needed to meet the recovery goals (set by the business);

    6. Fully describe and document the details of the information system in the IT Contingency Plan (ITCP) that is required by FISMA for each major system;

    7. Clearly define system and application priorities, subsequent needs, and related risk acceptance or avoidance for recovery and BR;

    8. Support expeditious acquisition and transportation of replacement equipment required to restore operations;

    9. Support the development of processing priorities for completion of work following emergencies that degrade computer processing capabilities;

    10. Ensure ITCPs and DR plans for all applications and systems are tested annually;

    11. Work jointly with MITS and MA&SS in the development and testing of DR plans to ensure business continuity;

    12. Work jointly with MITS and MA&SS in the testing of the DR plans to ensure availability of data from the recovered system.

  6. In collaboration with the Business and Functional Unit Owner, the MITS organization shall:

    1. Develop security controls for systems and applications;

    2. Conduct annual testing of the systems and applications;

    3. Test and validate the effectiveness of corrective actions;

    4. Ensure IT contingency planning and DR requirements are addressed for all applications and systems owned by MITS;

    5. Mitigate technical vulnerabilities and validate fixes;

    6. Implement corrective actions to mitigate weaknesses assigned to MITS; and

    7. Create and implement configuration management plans that control changes to systems and applications during development;

    8. Track security flaws, require authorization of changes, and provide documentation of the configuration management plan and its implementation.

  7. For Disaster Recovery (DR) / Business Resumption (BR), the MITS organization shall:

    1. Jointly develop the detailed content of each DR plan to include recovery of the system, the application, and the associated data, including all platforms applicable to the system/application;

    2. Ensure requirements, priorities, recovery times, and costs of each DR plan are appropriate and achievable;

    3. Exercise and execute each DR plan;

    4. Maintain and update the content of the DR plans;

    5. Support procurement activities to enhance DR capabilities to meet stated business objectives;

    6. Maintain DR equipment located at MITS locations for the business units;

    7. Establish DR location(s) based on FISMA and NIST DR policy and requirements;

    8. Ensure offsite storage of data needed for recovery and ongoing backup of data;

    9. Establish a schedule and notify MA&SS IT Security Field Operations of the schedule for coordinating DR tests throughout the year;

    10. Annually test each major system and establish DR testing priorities; and

    11. Work with business units and MA&SS to resolve (if possible) issues identified during DR testing or document reasons/risk/impact.

10.8.2.2.5.1  (03-23-2007)
Business System Planner (BSP)

  1. The Business System Planner (BSP) shall perform duties outlined for Senior Management Executives.

10.8.2.2.5.1.1  (03-23-2007)
Security Program Management Officer (PMO)

  1. The Security Program Officers (PMOs) have been established within the Business Units and MITS to support their Designated Approving Authority (DAA) and other staff with the successful completion of that office’s security related responsibilities, including the successful completion of all FISMA requirements.

  2. The Security PMO shall support the BSP functions, System Owner, FISMA activities and shall provide other administrative support for other security activities.

  3. When there is no ISSO assigned for an application, the Security PMO shall assume the role of the ISSO.

  4. In support of FISMA, the Security PMO shall:

    1. Ensure development and implementation of the IRS Security Program strategy to meet FISMA requirements;

    2. Ensure currency of the FISMA Master Inventory;

    3. Coordinate and ensure completion of annual security reviews;

    4. Make security determinations (such as prioritization) for weakness reporting;

    5. Ensure completion and DAA approval for POA&Ms;

    6. Collaborate with other PMOs to ensure consistency of FISMA activities across business units;

    7. Serve as the "Security Help Desk" contact for all their business unit staff supporting FISMA;

    8. Identify needs and implement IT security awareness training to current and newly assigned personnel in the business unit; and

    9. Present all training and orientation materials to DAAs and various Points of Contact (POCs).

  5. For weaknesses and POA&Ms, the Security PMO shall:

    1. Identify and track, with ISSO support, the corrective actions to mitigate the weaknesses in the POA&M through status updates, changes to milestones, and additional comments;

    2. Identify the scheduled completion date, cost, and resources needed to mitigate each weakness;

    3. Validate the effectiveness of the corrective actions;

    4. Combine and review all high level security weaknesses from the self-assessment, risk assessment, TIGTA audits, GAO audits, and internal reviews into the POA&M;

    5. As determined by their business unit, consolidate self-assessment scores for their business unit applications then brief POCs and DAAs on results; and

    6. Support the development of answers to the self-assessment questions that cross multiple business units.

10.8.2.2.6  (03-23-2007)
Information Owner

  1. The information owner is an agency official with statutory or operational authority for specified information and responsibility for establishing the controls for its generation, collection, processing, dissemination, and disposal. At the IRS, the Information Owner is the Business and Functional Unit Owner.

  2. In accordance with NIST and TD P 85-01, the Business and Functional Unit Owner shall:

    1. Establish the rules for appropriate use and protection of the subject information (e.g., rules of behavior);

    2. Retain responsibility for the information even when the information is shared with other organizations; and

    3. Provide input to information system owners regarding the security requirements and security controls for the information systems where the information resides.

10.8.2.2.7  (03-23-2007)
Designated Approving Authority (DAA)

  1. The Designated Approving Authority (DAA), authorizing official, or accrediting official, is a senior management executive with the authority to formally assume responsibility for operating a system at an acceptable level of risk.

  2. In accordance with NIST and TD P 85-01, the DAA shall:

    1. For all equipment capable of storing or transmitting data, a risk assessment before connecting it to an IRS system or network.

    2. Apply adequate countermeasures before connecting the equipment to an IRS system or network.

    3. Decide through C&A processes to allow or disallow equipment to be connected to an IRS system or network.

    4. Document interconnections between external networks with an Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) signed by both DAAs.

  3. In accordance with NIST guidance, the DAA shall:

    1. Oversee the budget and business operations of the information system within the agency and is often called upon to approve system security requirements, system security plans, and memorandums of agreement and/or memorandums of understanding;

    2. Issue an Interim Authorization to Operate (IATO) the information system under specific terms and conditions;

    3. Deny Authorization to Operate (ATO) the information system (or if the system is already operational, halt operations) if unacceptable security risks exist;

    4. Report to the Business and Functional Unit Owner and manage the day-to-day activities for the owner.

  4. The DAA shall also:

    1. Ensure that the BO responsibilities are assigned within their organization for each system;

    2. Obtaining and maintain C&A for his/her systems and applications;

    3. Sign the Accreditation Letter and assume responsibility and accountability for operating a system at an acceptable level of risk;

    4. Ensure C&A documentation is current.

  5. The DAA can delegate performance of his or her responsibilities to a designated representative except for the signature of the accreditation letter.

  6. The DAA shall also:

    1. Determine information sensitivity in accordance with NIST special publication guidance on security;

    2. Coordinate with the CIO regarding the security requirements of the sensitive information and provide definitive directions to IT developers or owners relative to the risk in the security posture of the IT system;

    3. Respond to self-assessment questions assigned;

    4. Decide on accepting the minimum security safeguards (requirements) prescribed for an IT system;

    5. Implement all applicable protection policies as required by the Business system owner;

    6. Ensure that risk analysis responsibilities are accomplished in accordance with this policy;

    7. Ensure development of the documentation required for certification and ensure delivery to MA&SS, which is supporting the CIO;

    8. Evaluate security impact of any facility-unique patches or system modifications and approve those that do not adversely affect system security;

    9. Report any condition which appears to invalidate a certification, immediately to MA&SS;

    10. Ensure that current copies of approved C&A or IATO documentation are distributed to the organizations with a need to know as outlined in C&A processes;

    11. Ensure that all acquisitions of goods or services provide for information security, personnel security and physical security; and

    12. The results of contracted and outsourced efforts belong to the DAA(s) who provided funding.

  7. The DAA shall approve the physical removal of Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) information from IRS facilities in writing prior to its removal.

  8. The DAA shall approve the download, and remote storage of SBU information outside of IRS facilities in writing prior to the action.

  9. The DAA for shall have the authority to deny, terminate, or alter access to a system or application if the level of risk is increased by granting such access.

  10. The only activity that shall not be delegated by the DAA is the security accreditation decision and the signing of the associated accreditation decision letter (i.e., the acceptability of risk to the agency).

  11. When normal day-to-day activities do not allow the DAA to make the necessary risk-based decision(s) as mandated, the DAA shall/can delegate this role, though the delegation of an Accrediting Official Designated Representative.

10.8.2.2.7.1  (03-23-2007)
Accrediting Official Designated Representative

  1. The role of Accrediting Official Designated Representative shall be officially designated.

10.8.2.2.8  (03-23-2007)
Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO)

  1. The Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) is responsible to the authorizing official, information system owner, or SAISO for ensuring that the appropriate operational security posture is maintained for an information system or program.

  2. In accordance with NIST and TD P 85-01, the Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) shall:

    1. The ISSO shall be appointed in writing;

    2. Be responsible for the coordination of activities that facilitate confidentiality, integrity, and availability of assigned IRS systems and applications;

    3. Accomplished duties through planning, analysis, development, implementation, maintenance, and enhancement of MA&SS information systems security programs, policies, procedures, and tools consistent with Department of Treasury, FISMA, and NIST guidelines.

  3. The ISSO shall also:

    1. Support the DAA in day-to-day management of an enterprise risk management capability that incorporates the specific GSS or application;

    2. Be a voting member on the Change Control Board (CCB) for the systems and applications for which the DAA is responsible;

    3. Ensure current security plans and contingency plans exist;

    4. Ensure Disaster Recovery (DR) / Business Resumption (BR) planning and testing occurs;

    5. Facilitate testing of corrective action effectiveness, system security controls, and any other security testing;

    6. Facilitate local reviews to ensure that media controls are in place and effectively implemented; background screening requests for individuals in sensitive positions are submitted on time; and adequate physical security controls are implemented.

    7. Provide an early warning to appropriate personnel, assisting with (or in) the tasks necessary to plan, allocate resources, and conduct any required security re-certification and accreditation;

    8. Assist in identification of IT and security resources which support critical operations;

    9. Coordinate activities relating to the security posture of the GSS or application with responsible organizations;

    10. Periodically report the status of the security posture of the GSS or application to the ISSM and the DAA;

    11. Recommend (dis)approval of deviations from policy for the systems or applications for which they are responsible;

    12. Analyze the proposed changes to the systems and applications (including hardware, software, and surrounding environment) to determine needs for re-certification;

    13. Coordinate the C&A packages with the DAA; and

    14. Participate in role-based training opportunities provided by the ISSM;

  4. The ISSO shall support the Security PMO and FISMA activities.

10.8.2.2.9  (03-23-2007)
First Line Manager

  1. First line managers are responsible for day-to-day security awareness activities, in accordance with IRM 1.4.1Resource Guide for Managers, Management Roles and Responsibilities. First Line Managers are also referred to as Front Line Managers.

  2. In accordance with IRM 1.4Resource Guide for Managers, First Line Managers shall:

    1. Enforce clean desk policy;

    2. Sign a Form 11370, Certification of Annual UNAX Awareness Briefing, or comparable document/process.

    3. Be responsible for providing prompt notification to the responsible organization via Form 5081 of the system user status changes (e.g., terminations, transfers). The responsible organization shall immediately suspend, cancel and/or adjust all access privileges associated with changes in status of the user.

    4. Receive Security Awareness Training and Education (ATE). Detailed training requirements for management are stated in IRM 10.8.1.

10.8.2.2.10  (03-23-2007)
Contracting Officer

  1. The Contracting Officer is responsible for managing contracts/acquisitions and overseeing their implementation, in accordance with IRM 1.1.17Organization and Staffing, Agency-Wide Shared Services.

  2. In accordance with IRM 1.1.17, the Contracting Officer shall:

    1. Work in partnership with the SAISO to ensure that agency contracting policies adequately address the information security requirements;

    2. Coordinate with the SAISO to ensure that all agency contracts and procurements are compliant with the agency’s information security policy;

    3. Ensure that all personnel with responsibilities in the agency’s procurement process are properly trained in information security; and

    4. Collaborate with the SAISO to monitor contract performance for compliance with the agency’s information security policy.

10.8.2.2.10.1  (03-23-2007)
Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR)

  1. The COTR is a qualified employee appointed by the Contracting Officer to act as its technical representative in managing the technical aspects of a particular contract.

  2. The COTR shall:

    1. Develop security requirements for hardware, software, and services acquisitions specific to the IT security program;

    2. Develop the system termination plan to ensure that IT security breaches are avoided during shutdown and long-term protection of archived resources is achieved;

    3. Ensure hardware, software, data, and facility resources are archived, sanitized, or disposed of in a manner consistent with the system termination plan;

    4. Determine if contractors require IT access in the accomplishment of their mission;

    5. Ensure that contractors comply with this policy and pursue appropriate action for noncompliance;

    6. Review and authorize access privileges for contractors and reviewing user security agreements on at least an annual basis to verify the continuing need for access, the appropriate level of privileges, and the accuracy of information contained in the agreement;

    7. Notify system owners to revoke access privileges in a timely manner when a contractor under his/her supervision or oversight no longer requires access privileges, requires a change in access privileges, or fails to comply with stated policies or procedures.

    8. Ensure contracts for Information Systems contain FISMA security language.

    9. Ensure reviews are conducted on contractor facilities and systems annually, in accordance FISMA, with NIST 800-37 and 800-53 guidance.

10.8.2.2.11  (03-23-2007)
Enterprise Architect

  1. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Management of Federal Information Resources, November 28, 2000, requires agencies to ensure consistency with Federal, agency, and bureau Enterprise Architectures and to demonstrate consistency through compliance with agency business requirements and standards. The Enterprise Architect is a highly experienced IT architect who has a broad and deep understanding of the agency's overall business strategy and general IT trends and directions. The role of Enterprise Architect is assigned to the MITS, Enterprise Services organization.

  2. In accordance with OMB Circular A-130, the Enterprise Architect shall:

    1. Lead agency enterprise architecture development and implementation efforts;

    2. Collaborate with lines of business within the agency to ensure proper integration of lines of business into enterprise architecture;

    3. Participate in agency strategic planning and performance planning activities to ensure proper integration of enterprise architecture;

    4. Facilitate integration of information security into all layers of enterprise architecture to ensure agency implementation of secure solutions; and

    5. Work closely with the program managers, the senior agency information security officer (SAISO), and the business owners to ensure that all technical architecture requirements are adequately addressed by applying Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) and the Security and Privacy Profile (SPP).

10.8.2.2.12  (03-23-2007)
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

  1. To provide a sound leadership structure linked to OMB’s financial management responsibilities, the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act of 1991 creates chief financial officer positions in 23 major agencies. The CFO is the senior financial advisor to the Investment Review Board (IRB) and the agency head. Information security investments fall within the purview of the CFO and are included in the CFO’s reports.

  2. In accordance with the CFO Act, the CFO shall:

    1. Review cost goals of each major information security investment;

    2. Report financial management information to OMB as part of the President’s budget;

    3. Comply with legislative and OMB-defined responsibilities as they relate to IT capital investments;

    4. Review systems that impact financial management activities; and

    5. Forward investment assessments to the IRB.

10.8.2.2.13  (03-23-2007)
Privacy Officer

  1. The Privacy Act of 1974 mandates that each United States Government agency have in place an administrative and physical security system to prevent the unauthorized release of personal records. The role of the Privacy Officer is defined in accordance with the Privacy Act. This role within the IRS is assigned to the MA&SS, Director of Privacy and Information Protection.

  2. The Director of Privacy and Information Protection is responsible for privacy compliance across the IRS, including privacy compliance measures that apply to information security assets and activities. The Director of Privacy and Information Protection will work to maintain a balance between security and privacy requirements and ensure that one is not compromised for the sake of the other.

  3. The Director of Privacy and Information Protection shall

    1. Develop, promote, and support the organization’s privacy programs;

    2. Encourage awareness of potential privacy issues and policies; and

    3. Review and implement privacy regulations and legislation.

10.8.2.2.14  (03-23-2007)
Physical Security Officer

  1. The physical security office is usually responsible for developing and enforcing appropriate physical security controls, in consultation with computer security management, program and functional managers, and others, as appropriate. The role of the Physical Security Officer is established in accordance with NIST SP 800–12, An Introduction to Computer Security. This role is assigned to the MA&SS, Director of Physical Security and Emergency Preparedness.

  2. The Director of Physical Security and Emergency Preparedness is responsible for the overall implementation and management of physical security controls across the IRS, including integration with applicable information security controls.

  3. The Director of Physical Security and Emergency Preparedness shall:

    1. Develop, promulgate, implement, and monitor the organization’s physical security programs, to include appropriate controls for alternate work sites;

    2. Ensure organizational implementation and monitoring of access controls (i.e., authorization, access, visitor control, transmission medium, display medium, logging);

    3. Coordinate organizational environmental controls (i.e., ongoing and emergency power support and backups, fire protection, temperature and humidity controls, water damage); and

    4. Oversee and managing controls for delivery and removal of assets.

10.8.2.2.15  (03-23-2007)
Personnel Security Officer

  1. The Personnel Security Office manages and implements safeguards and security access authorization functions. The personnel office is the first point of contact in helping managers determine if a security background investigation is necessary for a particular position. The personnel office may also be responsible for providing security-related exit procedures when employees leave an organization. This role is assigned to the MA&SS, Director of Personnel Security and Investigations.

  2. The Director of Personnel Security and Investigations is responsible for the overall implementation and management of personnel security controls across the IRS, including integration with specific information security controls.

  3. The Director of Personnel Security and Investigations shall:

    1. Develop, promulgate, implement and monitor the organization’s personnel security programs;

    2. Develop and implement position categorization (including third-party controls), access agreements, and personnel screening, termination, and transfers; and

    3. Ensure consistent and appropriate sanctions for personnel violating management, operation, or technical information security controls.

10.8.2.2.16  (03-23-2007)
Functional Roles and Responsibilities

  1. This section provides functional roles and responsibilities for personnel who have security related responsibility for the protection information systems they operate, manage and support. These roles are defined in accordance with FISMA, NIST, OMB, TD P 85-01 and IRS Policy and Guidelines.

10.8.2.2.16.1  (03-23-2007)
Contractor

  1. The provision of this IRM applies to individuals and organizations having contractual arrangements with the IRS, including contractors, vendors, and outsourcing providers, which use or operate IT systems.

  2. Contractors shall:

    1. Be instructed on appropriate security procedures before being granted unescorted system access;

    2. Be subject to background investigations at the risk level appropriate to the sensitivity of the position and sensitivity/classification of the data;

    3. Not access sensitive IT systems until they have at least a favorably adjudicated National Agency Check (a component of the full background investigation);

    4. Be involved with the management, operation, programming, maintenance, or use of IRS information systems shall receive training in acceptable computer security practices prior to system access;

    5. Not access sensitive/classified IT systems until they have received the in-brief for the appropriate clearance for the IT system;

    6. Be responsible for protecting any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that they have in their possession, whether it is paper-based or in electronic form;

    7. Complete Unauthorized Access (UNAX) training when required and sign a Form 11370, Certification of Annual UNAX Awareness Briefing, or complete a comparable process indicating completed training;

    8. Be involved with the management, operation, programming, maintenance, or use of IRS information systems shall receive training in acceptable computer security practices prior to system access, in addition to the Rules of Behavior;

    9. Receive the same level of information security awareness and training as federal employees. While under contract to the IRS, contractors are responsible for ensuring that their employees are provided appropriate Security ATE;

    10. Contractors with significant security responsibilities shall receive specialized training specific to their security responsibilities annually;

    11. The provisions and applicable criminal penalties under Public Law 105-35, Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act, shall also apply to all contractors and contractor employees;

    12. Comply with all executive, legislative and Department of Treasury and IRS security policies and procedures;

    13. Minimize the threat of viruses by write-protecting diskettes, routinely scanning files, systems and media for viruses and never circumventing anti-virus safeguards;

    14. Report any suspicious or unusual activity to the appropriate supervisor, ISSO, or incident response capability;

    15. Attend/complete an initial security briefing and acknowledge attendance at the security briefing in writing;

    16. Attend/complete periodic (at least annual) refresher training; and

    17. Thoroughly read and abide by the Rules of Behavior for the systems, as well as associated policies and procedures by which personnel are granted access.

  3. Adhere to IRM 10.8.1 to:

    1. Protect Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) data, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), contained on IRS IT Systems and other forms of portable media from risk of disclosure or compromise; and

    2. Minimize the threat of viruses from portable mass storage devices (including, but not limited to, flash disks, pen drives, key drives, and thumb drives), ensuring that these devices have no additional software or firmware beyond storage management and encryption. Also, never knowingly circumventing anti-virus safeguards.

  4. Contractors with a laptop computer(s) shall follow all requirements as outlined in accordance with IRM 10.8.26.

10.8.2.2.16.2  (03-23-2007)
Database Administrator (DBA)

  1. The primary security role of any Database Administrator (DBA) is to administer and maintain database repositories for proper use by authorized individuals.

  2. DBAs shall not have system administration capabilities.

  3. At a minimum, the DBA shall:

    1. Establish security for database objects within the database and for the DBMS according to IRS security policies;

    2. Support disaster/recovery planning, documentation and implementation efforts for the database(s);

    3. Establish database points of consistency;

    4. Coordinate with the SA to integrate database backups into the system-related backup and recovery, including creating the backups if necessary;

    5. Periodically test backup copies of the databases;

    6. Recover the database to a current or previous state, if necessary;

    7. Recover individual objects (e.g., data rows, etc.) to a current or previous state;

    8. Identify database requirements of system resources;

    9. Provide network requirements for the database to the organizations responsible for designing and implementing network services;

    10. Manage the database configuration (e.g., architecture, internal settings, etc.) according to the certified and accredited operating system security configuration;

    11. Support Certification and Accreditation (C&A) efforts;

    12. Monitor/manage database performance and capacity; and

    13. Monitor user activities where appropriate.

10.8.2.2.16.3  (03-23-2007)
Employee

  1. The provision of this IRM applies to individuals and organizations having contractual arrangements with the IRS, including employees, which use or operate IT systems.

  2. IRS Employees shall:

    1. Comply with all executive, legislative, Department of Treasury and IRS security policies and procedures;

    2. Immediately report any incidents of loss or mishandling of IRS information technology resources to the IRS Computer Security Incident Response Center (CSIRC), their immediate supervisor, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax administration (TIGTA);

    3. Attend/complete an initial security briefing and acknowledge attendance at the security briefing in writing;

    4. Complete periodic (at least annual) refresher training;

    5. Complete specific specialized information Security ATE as necessary for position; and

    6. Thoroughly read and abide by the Rules of Behavior for the systems (consult the Online (OL) Form 5081 procedures), as well as associated policies and procedures to which personnel are granted access;

    7. Not have access to sensitive IT systems until they at least have a favorably adjudicated National Agency Check (a component of the full background investigation);

    8. Not access sensitive/classified IT systems until they have received the in-brief for the appropriate clearance for the IT system.

    9. Each employee and his/her manager shall sign a Form 11370, Certification of Annual UNAX Awareness Briefing, or comparable document/process. This certification/form indicates that the employee has completed the required UNAX training;

    10. Be responsible for protecting any Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that they have in their possession, whether it is paper-based or in electronic form;

    11. Complete the required UNAX training and sign a Form 11370, Certification of Annual UNAX Awareness Briefing or complete a comparable process indicating completed training;

    12. All IRS employees involved with the management, operation, programming, maintenance, or use of IRS information systems shall receive training in acceptable computer security practices prior to system access, in addition to the Rules of Behavior;

    13. Immediately report any incidents of mishandling, tampering, or the loss of a laptop computer to MA&SS. See IRM 10.8.26 Laptop Computer Security Policy for further guidance;

    14. Receive Security ATE. Refer to IRM 10.8.1 for detailed training requirements.

    15. Escort visitors of IRS facilities;

  3. Adhere to IRM 10.8.1 to:

    1. Protect Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) data, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), contained on IRS IT Systems and other forms of portable media from risk of disclosure or compromise; and

    2. Minimize the threat of viruses from portable mass storage devices (including, but not limited to, flash disks, pen drives, key drives, and thumb drives), ensuring that these devices have no additional software or firmware beyond storage management and encryption. Also, never knowingly circumventing anti-virus safeguards.

  4. Employees with a laptop computer(s) shall follow all requirements as outlined in accordance with IRM 10.8.26.

10.8.2.2.16.4  (03-23-2007)
Encryption Recovery Agent

  1. Encryption Recovery Agents are needed for the safe recovery of data, whenever encryption keys are lost or compromised.

  2. The role of Encryption Recovery Agents shall be established in all organizations that administer IT systems with encryption and resources.

  3. Business and functional unit owners shall establish policies and procedures for the administration of recovery agents for all IT environments.

  4. In accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-57, Recommendation for Key Management – Part 1: General (Revised) (dated May 2006), Encryption Recovery Agents shall be responsible for:

    1. The keying material that needs to be saved for a given application;

    2. How and where the keying material would be saved;

    3. Who shall be responsible for protecting the Key Recovery Information (KRI), whether it be an individual or an external organization;

    4. Who can request key recovery and under what conditions;

    5. What audit capabilities and procedures would be included in the Key Recovery System (KRS), including a policy which identifies the events to be audited;

    6. How the KRS would deal with aged keying material or the destruction of the keying material;

    7. Who would be notified when keying material is recovered and under what conditions; and

    8. The procedures that need to be followed when the KRS or some portion of the data within the KRS is compromised.

  5. The Encryption Recovery Agent shall provide support during key recovery procedures.

10.8.2.2.16.5  (03-23-2007)
Network Administrator (NA)

  1. Network Administrators (NAs) shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the network device.

  2. At a minimum, the NA shall:

    1. Configure network device parameters within the documented security standards, using the applicable IRMs, policies and system life cycle documentation;

    2. Ensure the proper installation, testing, protection and use of network device software, including installing network software fixes and upgrades;

    3. Maintain current documentation that properly defines the hardware and software configuration of the network devices and connections for which they are responsible;

    4. Ensure inventories are accurately maintained;

    5. Recommend and implementing processes, changes and improvements to programs, procedures and network devices; and

    6. Monitor network performance; performing network diagnostics; analyzing network traffic patterns.

  3. The NA shall support CSIRC efforts and security incident handling.

  4. The NA shall apply patches and hot fixes as directed, following configuration management policies and procedures. Refer to IRM 10.8.50, Service-wide Security Patch Management for further information concerning security patch management.

10.8.2.2.16.6  (03-23-2007)
Program Developer/Programmer

  1. Program Developers/Programmers shall be responsible for the development, test and administration of application programs.

  2. At a minimum, Program Developers/Programmers shall:

    1. Develop application program in accordance with established organizational policies and procedures;

    2. Develop application program in accordance with IRM 10.8.1;

    3. Adhere to IRS Configuration Management (CM) practices and the ELC requirements;

    4. Create installation scripts, processes, and instructions for production organizations to utilize. The developer shall incorporate feedback mechanisms into the installation processes as needed.

10.8.2.2.16.7  (03-23-2007)
Resource Access Control Facility (RACF)

  1. System Software RACF Specialist is in the System Administrator (SA) role with a subset of the generic System Administrator (SA) responsibilities. The System Software RACF Specialists, in coordination with the operating system program developer(s), systems operations staff, and the RACF Security Administrator, shall identify all system resources, components, data sets, and connections which are to be protected by RACF. The RACF software specialist works with the RSA to determine the appropriate access control levels and monitoring requirements for system resources.

  2. RACF Security Administrator (RSA) functions within the SA role and shall work with the system software RACF Specialist to perform the initial setup of the RACF system and maintain user/group access profiles. The RSA has overall responsibility for all security matters within RACF. The subset of generic SA responsibilities shall include at a minimum:

    1. Adding, removing, and maintaining system users and configuring their access controls to provide the users necessary access with least privilege, as defined for each user in the Form 5081;

    2. Configuring system parameters within the documented security standards, using the applicable IRMs and system life cycle documentation;

    3. Ensuring the proper installation, testing, protection, and use of system and application software;

    4. Establishing the RACF User Administrators using the Form 5081 process for user administration requests, while routing the request to the appropriate non-SA (e.g., EAA staff or other user administrator) for processing.

    5. Establishing conditions (with least privilege) for other EOps staff.

    6. Maintain current documentation that properly defines the technical hardware and software configuration of system and network connections;

    7. Start up and shut down the system;

    8. Perform regular backups, recovery tests, and other associated contingency planning responsibilities for systems;

    9. Create and archive audit logs/trails and system logs for review by the SecSpecs; and

    10. Monitor system/user access for performance concerns;

    11. Perform application management activities.

  3. RACF Group Administrator functions within the SA role with the same generic SA responsibilities as the RSA. Distributed security administration is allowed, but not required. RACF Group Administrators shall have overall responsibility for all security matters within the scope of their group.

  4. RACF User Administrator functions within the user administrator role. (Refer to the User Administrator (UA) section of this IRM for general requirements). RACF User Administrators (RUA) shall perform user account administration under the direction of a RSA or RACF Group Administrator.

  5. RACF System or Group Auditor functions within the SecSpec role. (Refer to the Security Specialist (SecSpec) section of this IRM for general requirements). In order to provide a system of checks and balances, independent auditor(s) are assigned at the system or user group level and shall review user activities in areas where they perform no activities relating to administration, programming, or security administration.

  6. In the mainframe environment, the RACF software specialist installs the RACF product and identifies security critical system resources. The RSA shall have the responsibility for maintaining RACF resource and user profiles.

10.8.2.2.16.8  (03-23-2007)
Security Specialist (SecSpec)

  1. The SecSpec shall be responsible for reviewing all activities of the SAs, NAs, DBAs, anyone responsible for the operation or administration of IT equipment, anyone involved with user administration, such as the Enterprise Account Administration (EAA) staff, and all other users to ensure they are compliant with security requirements.

  2. The SecSpec shall oversee any and all user (e.g., system, database, application, etc.) administration regardless of how or who performs it.

  3. At a minimum, the SecSpec shall:

    1. Ensure the site contingency or DR plans remain up-to-date in response to new security requirements or changes in the IRS IT architecture;

    2. Conduct and support all security reviews of IRS systems and networks;

    3. Provide or recommend security measures and countermeasures based on the security reviews and security policies;

    4. Upon management request, review individual user's access verifying it is the least privilege necessary to perform his/her job;

    5. Inspect and monitor user files, as directed by management;

    6. Conduct security audits, verifications and acceptance checks, while maintaining documentation on the results;

    7. Promote security awareness and compliance;

    8. Report security incidents including those discovered while reviewing audit logs/trails; and

    9. Assist with developing a deviation request, such as interpreting policy to determine if a deviation is required, assisting with the risk assessment and possible mitigations.

  4. The SecSpec shall review all types of audit logs/trails at least weekly in order to:

    1. Ensure integrity, confidentiality and availability of information and resources;

    2. Investigate possible security incidents; and

    3. Monitor user or system activities where appropriate.

  5. A SecSpec shall not perform system/security administration on any system/platform/application, etc.

  6. The SecSpec shall have read-only access to system resources and shall not modify audit settings.

10.8.2.2.16.9  (03-23-2007)
System Administrator (SA)

  1. System Administrator (SA) are technicians who design and operate IT systems. They are responsible for implementing technical security on computer systems and for being familiar with security technology that relates to their system.

  2. At a minimum, (non-RACF) SAs shall:

    1. Add, remove, maintain system users and configuring their access controls to provide the users necessary access with least privilege, as defined for each user in the Form 5081;

    2. Provide lists of system users for systems under his/her control and providing the lists to the appropriate users' managers and appropriate SecSpecs for review, update and certification;

    3. Configure system parameters within the documented security standards, using the applicable IRMs and system life cycle documentation;

    4. Maintain current documentation that properly defines the technical hardware and software configuration of system and network connections for systems they are responsible;

    5. Ensure the proper installation, testing, protection, and use of system and application software;

    6. Start up and shut down the system;

    7. Perform regular backups and recovery tests and other associated contingency planning responsibilities for systems for which they are responsible;

    8. Create and archive audit logs/trails and system logs for review by the SecSpecs;

    9. Monitor system/user access for performance and security concerns;

    10. Establish conditions on the system so that other operational entities can perform application management activities; and

    11. Run various utilities and tools in support of the SecSpecs.

  3. The SA shall be responsible for supporting the SecSpec's needs for read access to system resources as defined on each specialist's Form 5081.

  4. The SA shall support techniques that allow non-SAs to perform user administration in a controlled and limited manner while still managing access to system resources and other directories and files.

  5. The use of non-SAs for user administration shall be documented in the Computer Operations Handbook or equivalent for the system/application and in the C&A documentation for the relevant GSS and application.

  6. The use of non-SAs for user administration shall be established via a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and accepted by the involved DAAs.

  7. Depending on the environment, the SA may perform user support for password issues. This can include (but is not limited to) resetting or issuing a new password when the user forgets the current one or locks the account.

  8. The SA shall support CSIRC efforts and security incident handling.

  9. The SA shall apply patches and hot fixes as directed, following configuration management policies and procedures and contact MA&SS for further information concerning security patch management.

10.8.2.2.16.10  (03-23-2007)
Systems Operations Staff

  1. The role of the Systems Operations Staff is assigned to the IRS, Enterprise Operations organization.

  2. Systems Operations Staff shall:

    1. Safeguard equipment, data, and magnetic media during day-to-day performance of their duties;

    2. Be able to perform System Administrator (SA) duties delegated them from the SA with associated least privilege permissions to perform those functions.

10.8.2.2.16.11  (03-23-2007)
Telecommunications Specialist

  1. The role of Telecommunication (Telecomm) Specialist is assigned to the IRS, Enterprise Networks organization.

  2. The Enterprise Networks organization is responsible for providing communications services, including voice, data, video, and fax service.

  3. The Telecomm Specialist shall be responsible for the management of the communication systems in compliance with IT security policy and federal regulations.

10.8.2.2.16.12  (03-23-2007)
User Administrator (UA)

  1. The User Administrator (UA) role pertains only to organizations (e.g., Enterprise Service Desk - Enterprise Account Administration (ESD-EAA), etc.) who provide the service.

  2. The UA shall have no more capability than appropriate to establish a user on a system or to establish a user within an application.

  3. The UA shall use the Form 5081 process.

  4. An SA or NA establishing user access does not assume this role.

10.8.2.3  (03-23-2007)
Deviations

  1. Deviations from this policy shall be processed according to IRM 10.8.1.

  2. Titles of organizations or job titles of staff that differ from this IRM do not require a deviation.

Exhibit 10.8.2-1  (03-23-2007)
Glossary

A

Access Control - The process of granting or denying specific requests:

1) for obtaining and using information and related information processing services;

2) to enter specific physical facilities (e.g., Federal buildings, military establishments, and border crossing entrances).

Accountability - The security goal that generates the requirement for actions of an entity to be traced uniquely to that entity. This supports non-repudiation, deterrence, fault isolation, intrusion detection and prevention, and after-action recovery and legal action.

Asset - A major application, GSS, high impact program, physical plant, mission critical system, or a logically related group of systems.

Audit - An independent review and examination of records and activities to assess the adequacy of system controls, to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures, and to recommend necessary changes in controls, policies, or procedures is; or a comprehensive assessment and report on the financial condition and/or the results of performance of a government entity, program or related activity.

Authentication - Verifying the identity of a user, process, or device, often as a prerequisite to allowing access to resources in an information system.

Availability - The ability to access a specific resource within a specific time frame as defined with the IT product specification. The availability of an IT system allows the accessibility and usability upon demand by an authorized entity. This state is the prevention of the unauthorized withholding of information or resources.

Awareness - Activities which seek to focus attention on information security or set of issues. Awareness presentations are intended to allow individuals to recognize IT security concerns and respond accordingly. Awareness relies on reaching broad audiences with attractive packaging techniques.

B, C

Certificate - A digital representation of information which at least:

1) identifies the certification authority issuing it;

2) names or identifies its subscriber;

3) contains the subscriber’s public key;

4) identifies its operational period; and

5) is digitally signed by the certification authority issuing it.

Certification Authority (CA) - A trusted entity in a public key infrastructure (PKI) that issues and revokes certificates exacting compliance to a PKI policy.

Certification and Accreditation (C&A) - A comprehensive assessment of the management, operational, and technical security controls in an information system, made in support of security accreditation, to determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly, operating as intended, and producing the desired outcome with respect to meeting the requirements for the system.

Chief Information Officer (CIO) - An agency official responsible for:

1) providing advice and other assistance to the head of the executive agency and other senior management personnel of the agency to ensure that IT is acquired and information resources are managed in a manner that is consistent with laws, E.O.s, directives, policies, regulations, and priorities established by the head of the agency;

2) developing, maintaining, and facilitating the implementation of a sound and integrated IT architecture for the agency; and

3) promoting the effective and efficient design and operation of all major information management processes for the agency, including to work processes of the agency.

Confidentiality - Preserving authorized restrictions on information access and disclosure, (including means for protecting personal privacy and proprietary information) from unauthorized individuals, entities, or processes.

Contingency Plan - Management policy and procedures designed to maintain or restore business operations, including computer operations, possibly at an alternate location, in the event of emergencies, system failures, or disaster.

Countermeasures - Actions, devices, procedures, techniques, or other measures that reduce the vulnerability of an information system. Synonymous with security controls and safeguards.

D

Department - In the context of this IRM, the terms department, departments, departmental, etc. refer solely to the IRS unless there is a specific reference to Treasury. The terms "department employee(s)" and "Treasury employee(s)" also refer to the IRS.

Designated Approving Authority (DAA) - Official with the authority to formally assume responsibility for operating an information system at an acceptable level of risk to agency operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), agency assets, or individuals.

E

Education - Education level integrates all security skills and competencies of the various functional specialties into a common body of knowledge, adds a multi-disciplinary study of concepts, issues, and principles (both technological and social), and strives to produce IT security specialists and professionals capable of forward thinking vision and pro-active response.

Encryption - The conversion of data into a form, called a ciphertext, which cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people, for the purposes of security or privacy.

F

Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) - requires agencies to integrate information security into their capital planning and enterprise architecture processes at the agency, conduct annual security reviews of all programs and systems, and report the results of those reviews to the OMB.

Form 5081 - Virtually every customer within IRS must utilize the IRS Form 5081, Information System User Registration/Change Request, to request access to information systems and applications. The Online 5081 replaces the paper Forms 5081 with an automated, standard process. It provides automated submission, approval, re-certification, and filing of the Form 5081 on a service-wide basis. The Online 5081 Application is an Intranet and web-based application.

G, H, I

Identification - The process of verifying the identity of a user, process, or device, usually as a prerequisite for granting access to resources in an information system.

Impact - The magnitude of harm that can be expected to result from the consequences of unauthorized disclosure/modification/destruction of information or loss of information or information system confidentiality, integrity, or availability.

Incident - A violation or imminent threat of violation of computer security policies, acceptable use policies, or standard computer security practices.

Incident Handling - The mitigation of violations of security policies and recommended practices.

Information Owner - Official with statutory or operational authority for specified information and responsibility for establishing the controls for its generation, collection, processing, dissemination, and disposal.

Information Security - The protection of information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction in order to provide CIA.

Information System Owner - Official responsible for the overall procurement, development, integration, modification, or operation and maintenance of an information system.

Information System Security Officer (ISSO) - Individual assigned responsibility by the senior agency information security officer, authorizing official, management official, or information system owner for ensuring the appropriate operational security posture is maintained for an information system or program.

Information Technology (IT) - Any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information by an executive agency. For purposes of the preceding definition, "equipment" refers to that used by the Department of the Treasury or by a contractor under a contract with the Department of the Treasury if that contractor:

a) requires the use of such equipment, or

b) requires the use, to a significant extent, of such equipment in the performance of a service or the furnishing of a product. The term "information technology" includes computers, ancillary equipment, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services) and related resources.

Integrity - The prevention of the unauthorized/improper modification or destruction of information; includes ensuring information non-repudiation and authenticity.

Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) - An agreement established between the organizations that own and operate connected information systems to document the technical requirements of the interconnection. The ISA also supports a Memorandum of Understanding or Agreement (MOU/A) between the organizations.

J, K

Key Management - The activities involving the handling of cryptographic keys and other related security parameters during the entire life cycle of the keys, including their generation, storage, establishment, entry and output, and zeroization.

Key Pair - Two mathematically related keys having the properties that one key can be used to encrypt a message that can only be decrypted using the other key. Even knowing one key, it is computationally infeasible to discover the other key.

L

Least Privilege - The security objective of granting users only those accesses they need to perform their official duties.

M

Major Application - An application that requires special attention to security due to the risk and magnitude of harm resulting from the loss, misuse, or unauthorized access to or modification of the information in the application. Note: All federal applications require some level of protection. Certain applications, because of the information they hold, however, require special management oversight and shall be treated as major. Adequate security for other applications shall be provided by security of the systems in which they operate.

N

Non-repudiation - Assurance that the sender of information is provided with proof of delivery and the recipient is provided with proof of the sender's identity, so neither can later deny having processed the information.

O, P

Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) - A document that identifies tasks needing to be accomplished. It details resources required to accomplish the elements of the plan, any milestones in meeting the tasks, and scheduled completion dates for the milestones.

Privacy Impact Assessment - An analysis of how information is handled:

1) to ensure handling conforms to applicable legal, regulatory, and policy requirements regarding privacy;

2) to determine the risks and effects of collecting, maintaining, and disseminating information in identifiable form in an electronic information system; and

3) to examine and evaluate protections and alternative processes for handling information to mitigate potential privacy risks.

Private Key - The secret part of an asymmetric key pair that is typically used to digitally sign or decrypt data.

Program - A program is the process of translating broadly stated mission needs into a set of operational requirements from which specific performance specifications are derived. A program consists of a functional area that supports a Treasury or IRS mission and has associated IT systems and budgetary resources. A program is an organized set of activities directed towards a common purpose, objective, goal, or understanding proposed by IRS to carry out responsibilities assigned to the organization. Examples of programs include: Compliance, Accounts Management, Submission Processing, production of U.S. currency, asset forfeiture, and bank supervision.

Public Information - This type of information may be disclosed to the public without restriction, but requires protection against erroneous manipulation or alteration. Example: public Web site.

Public Key - The public part of an asymmetric key pair that is typically used to verify signatures or encrypt data.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) - A set of policies, processes, server platforms, software and workstations used for the purpose of administering certificates and public-private key pairs, including the ability to issue, maintain, and revoke public key certificates.

Q, R

Remediation - The act of correcting a vulnerability or eliminating a threat through activities such as installing a patch, adjusting configuration settings, or uninstalling a software application.

Review - Based on the Government Auditing Standards (2003), the IRS cannot perform self-audits, however, it can perform many of the audit activities in the context of reviews. The IRS reviews are primarily internal control reviews, based on definitions contained within this section, and comprised of assessments. This is a significant concept as it should reduce the amount of redundant work possible to conduct a review.

Risk - The level of impact on agency operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), agency assets, or individuals resulting from the operation of an information system given the potential impact of a threat and the likelihood of that threat occurring.

Risk Assessment - The process of identifying risks to agency operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), agency assets, or individuals by determining the probability of occurrence, the resulting impact, and additional security controls that would mitigate this impact. Part of risk management (incorporating threat and vulnerability analyses), the output of this process helps to identify appropriate controls for reducing or eliminating risk during the risk mitigation process. The risk assessment brings together important information for agency officials with regard to the protection of the information system and generates essential information required for the security plan. The periodic assessment of risk to agency assets or operations resulting from the operation of an information system is an important activity required by FISMA. (also Security Risk Assessment)

S

Safeguards - Protective measures prescribed to meet the security requirements (i.e., CIA) specified for an information system. Safeguards may include security features, management constraints, personnel security, and security of physical structures, areas, and devices.

Scanning - Sending packets or requests to another system to gain information to be used in a subsequent attack.

Security Controls - The management, operational, and technical controls (i.e., safeguards or countermeasures) prescribed for an information system to protect the CIA of the system and its information.

Security Requirements - Requirements levied on an information system that are derived from laws, E.O.s, directives, policies, instructions, regulations, or organizational (mission) needs to ensure the CIA of the information being processed, stored, or transmitted.

Self-Assessment - A method for agency officials to determine the current status of their information security programs and, where necessary, establish a target for improvement. For a self-assessment to be effective, a risk assessment shall be conducted in conjunction with, or prior to the self-assessment. A self-assessment does not eliminate the need for a risk assessment.

Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) Information - Any information that requires protection due to the risk and magnitude of loss or harm to the IRS or the privacy to which individuals are entitled under 5 U.S.C. § 552a (the Privacy Act), which could result from inadvertent or deliberate disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Sensitive Information - Information the loss, misuse, or unauthorized access to, or modification of which could adversely affect the national interest or the conduct of Federal programs, or the privacy to which individuals are entitled under 5 U.S.C. § 552a (the Privacy Act), but has not been specifically authorized under criteria established by an E.O. or an act of Congress to be kept classified in the interest of national defense or foreign policy. Examples of such sensitive information include personal financial information and information that discloses law enforcement investigative methods. Other particular classes of information may have additional statutory limits on disclosure that require that information to also be treated as sensitive. Examples include tax information, which is protected by Section 6103 of the IRC (26 U.S.C. § 6103) and advanced procurement information, protected by the Procurement Integrity Act (41 U.S.C. § 423).

System - A discrete set of information resources organized for the collection, processing, maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, or disposition of information. A system normally includes hardware, software, information, data, applications, communications, and people.

System Administrator (SA) - A person who manages the technical aspects of a system.

System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) - The scope of activities associated with a system, encompassing the system’s initiation, development and acquisition, implementation, operation and maintenance, and ultimately its disposal that instigates another system initiation.

System Security Plan - Formal document that provides an overview of the security requirements for the information system and describes the security controls in place or planned for meeting those requirements.

T

Technical Controls - The security controls (i.e., safeguards or countermeasures) for an information system that are primarily implemented and executed by the information system through mechanisms contained in the hardware, software, or firmware components of the system.

Threat - Any circumstance or event with the potential to adversely impact agency operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), agency assets, or individuals through an information system via unauthorized access, destruction, disclosure, modification of information, and/or denial of service.

Training - Training is more formal than "awareness," having the goal of building knowledge and skills to facilitate security in one’s job performance. The training level strives to produce relevant and needed security skills and competency by practitioners whose functional specialties are other than IT security (e.g., management, systems design, development, acquisition, auditing). Current training guidance encourages Role-Based Training.

U, V

Vulnerability - Weakness in an information system, system security procedures, internal controls, or implementation that could be exploited or triggered by a threat source.

Vulnerability Assessment - Formal description and evaluation of the vulnerabilities in an information system.

Exhibit 10.8.2-2  (03-23-2007)
References

Department of Treasury

  1. TD P 85-01, Department of Treasury Information Technology Security Program, Volume I and II Handbook, November 3, 2006.
    The TDs above are available at:http://treas.gov/regs.

IRS Manuals (IRMs)

  1. IRM 10.8.1, IT Security Policy and Guidance, version 24, September 21, 2006.

  2. IRM 10.8.2, IT Security Roles and Responsibilities, version 4, December 15, 2005.
    The IRS' Office of Service-wide Policy, Directives and Electronic Research (SPDER), in partnership with LEXIS-NEXIS, has made all IRMs available to all IRS employees. IRS IRMs are available at:http://spder.web.irs.gov/IRMOnline/irm.htm. MA&SS IRMs are available at:http://mass.web.irs.gov.

NIST

  1. NIST SP 800-12, An Introduction to Computer Security: The NIST Handbook, October 1995.

  2. NIST SP 800-30, Risk Management Guide for Information Technology Systems, July 2002.

  3. NIST SP 800-35, Guide to Information Technology Security Services.

  4. NIST SP 800-37, Guide for the Security Certification and Accreditation of Federal Information Systems,May 2004.

  5. NIST SP 800-53, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems, February 2005.

  6. NIST SP 800-53A, Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems, (projected for publication fall 2005).

  7. NIST SP 800-61, Computer Security Incident Handling Guide.

  8. NIST SP 800-64, Security Considerations in the Information System Development Life Cycle.

  9. NIST SP 800-100, Information Security Handbook: A Guide for Managers, October 2006.
    Information regarding the NIST publications noted above is available on the NIST web site:http://csrc.nist.gov.

Other References

  1. FISMA requirements (see http://csrc.nist.gov/sec-cert/).

  2. IRS FISMA activities can be found at the MA&SS web site, http://mass.web.irs.gov/.

  3. Privacy Act of 1974.


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