id: "SC-07(07)" title: "Split Tunneling for Remote Devices" family: "SC" family_name: "System and Communications Protection" sort_id: "sc-07.07" priority: "P1" implementation_level: "system" parent: "SC-07" enhancement: True
Statement
Prevent split tunneling for remote devices connecting to organizational systems unless the split tunnel is securely provisioned using {{ insert: param, sc-07.07_odp }}.
Guidance
Split tunneling is the process of allowing a remote user or device to establish a non-remote connection with a system and simultaneously communicate via some other connection to a resource in an external network. This method of network access enables a user to access remote devices and simultaneously, access uncontrolled networks. Split tunneling might be desirable by remote users to communicate with local system resources, such as printers or file servers. However, split tunneling can facilitate unauthorized external connections, making the system vulnerable to attack and to exfiltration of organizational information. Split tunneling can be prevented by disabling configuration settings that allow such capability in remote devices and by preventing those configuration settings from being configurable by users. Prevention can also be achieved by the detection of split tunneling (or of configuration settings that allow split tunneling) in the remote device, and by prohibiting the connection if the remote device is using split tunneling. A virtual private network (VPN) can be used to securely provision a split tunnel. A securely provisioned VPN includes locking connectivity to exclusive, managed, and named environments, or to a specific set of pre-approved addresses, without user control.
Assessment Objective
split tunneling is prevented for remote devices connecting to organizational systems unless the split tunnel is securely provisioned using {{ insert: param, sc-07.07_odp }}.
System and communications protection policy
procedures addressing boundary protection
system design documentation
system hardware and software
system architecture
system configuration settings and associated documentation
system audit records
system security plan
other relevant documents or records
System/network administrators
organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
system developer
organizational personnel with boundary protection responsibilities
Mechanisms implementing boundary protection capabilities
mechanisms supporting/restricting non-remote connections