id: "SA-08(13)" title: "Minimized Security Elements" family: "SA" family_name: "System and Services Acquisition" sort_id: "sa-08.13" priority: "P1" implementation_level: "system" parent: "SA-08" enhancement: True
Statement
Implement the security design principle of minimized security elements in {{ insert: param, sa-08.13_odp }}.
Guidance
The principle of minimized security elements states that the system does not have extraneous trusted components. The principle of minimized security elements has two aspects: the overall cost of security analysis and the complexity of security analysis. Trusted components are generally costlier to construct and implement, owing to the increased rigor of development processes. Trusted components require greater security analysis to qualify their trustworthiness. Thus, to reduce the cost and decrease the complexity of the security analysis, a system contains as few trustworthy components as possible. The analysis of the interaction of trusted components with other components of the system is one of the most important aspects of system security verification. If the interactions between components are unnecessarily complex, the security of the system will also be more difficult to ascertain than one whose internal trust relationships are simple and elegantly constructed. In general, fewer trusted components result in fewer internal trust relationships and a simpler system.
Assessment Objective
{{ insert: param, sa-08.13_odp }} implement the security design principle of minimized security elements.
System and services acquisition policy
procedures addressing the security design principle of minimized security elements used in the specification, design, development, implementation, and modification of the system
system design documentation
security and privacy requirements and specifications for the system
system security and privacy architecture
system security plan
other relevant documents or records
Organizational personnel with the responsibility for determining system security and privacy requirements
organizational personnel with system specification, design, development, implementation, and modification responsibilities
system developers
organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Organizational processes for applying the security design principle of minimized security elements in system specification, design, development, implementation, and modification
mechanisms supporting the application of the security design principle of minimized security elements in system specification, design, development, implementation, and modification