Browse 1,193 controls and enhancements across 20 security and privacy families. Use the GovRAMP crosswalk to locate controls referenced by Security Snapshot, Core, and Moderate.
A shared catalog supports common-control planning; designation as a common, hybrid, or system-specific control depends on your organization’s implementation and inheritance decisions.
Sources and crosswalk scope
NIST OSCAL content 5.1.1+u4, retrieved 2026-09-18. GovRAMP Snapshot v1.4 and Core selection from Moderate v1.06 reference the December 2020 Rev. 5 text. Mappings establish exact identifier correspondence, not identical requirements, inherited implementation, or GovRAMP authorization. GovRAMP parameters and additional requirements remain authoritative for each program. Full Moderate, High, and other programs are not mapped here. Withdrawn controls are retained for reference.
System and Communications Protection · Base control
SC-35 · External Malicious Code Identification
Control statement and discussion
NIST control statement
Include system components that proactively seek to identify network-based malicious code or malicious websites.
Discussion
External malicious code identification differs from decoys in [SC-26](#sc-26) in that the components actively probe networks, including the Internet, in search of malicious code contained on external websites. Like decoys, the use of external malicious code identification techniques requires some supporting isolation measures to ensure that any malicious code discovered during the search and subsequently executed does not infect organizational systems. Virtualization is a common technique for achieving such isolation.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
System and Communications Protection · Base control
SC-36 · Distributed Processing and Storage
Control statement and discussion
NIST control statement
Distribute the following processing and storage components across multiple [Selection (one): physical locations; logical domains]: [Assignment: organization-defined processing and storage components].
Discussion
Distributing processing and storage across multiple physical locations or logical domains provides a degree of redundancy or overlap for organizations. The redundancy and overlap increase the work factor of adversaries to adversely impact organizational operations, assets, and individuals. The use of distributed processing and storage does not assume a single primary processing or storage location. Therefore, it allows for parallel processing and storage.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
System and Communications Protection · Enhancement
(a) Employ polling techniques to identify potential faults, errors, or compromises to the following processing and storage components: [Assignment: distributed processing and storage components] ; and
(b) Take the following actions in response to identified faults, errors, or compromises: [Assignment: actions].
Discussion
Distributed processing and/or storage may be used to reduce opportunities for adversaries to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of organizational information and systems. However, the distribution of processing and storage components does not prevent adversaries from compromising one or more of the components. Polling compares the processing results and/or storage content from the distributed components and subsequently votes on the outcomes. Polling identifies potential faults, compromises, or errors in the distributed processing and storage components.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
System and Communications Protection · Enhancement
Synchronize the following duplicate systems or system components: [Assignment: duplicate systems or system components].
Discussion
[SC-36](#sc-36) and [CP-9(6)](#cp-9.6) require the duplication of systems or system components in distributed locations. The synchronization of duplicated and redundant services and data helps to ensure that information contained in the distributed locations can be used in the mission or business functions of organizations, as needed.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
System and Communications Protection · Base control
SC-37 · Out-of-band Channels
Control statement and discussion
NIST control statement
Employ the following out-of-band channels for the physical delivery or electronic transmission of [Assignment: information, system components, or devices] to [Assignment: individuals or systems]: [Assignment: out-of-band channels].
Discussion
Out-of-band channels include local, non-network accesses to systems; network paths physically separate from network paths used for operational traffic; or non-electronic paths, such as the U.S. Postal Service. The use of out-of-band channels is contrasted with the use of in-band channels (i.e., the same channels) that carry routine operational traffic. Out-of-band channels do not have the same vulnerability or exposure as in-band channels. Therefore, the confidentiality, integrity, or availability compromises of in-band channels will not compromise or adversely affect the out-of-band channels. Organizations may employ out-of-band channels in the delivery or transmission of organizational items, including authenticators and credentials; cryptographic key management information; system and data backups; configuration management changes for hardware, firmware, or software; security updates; maintenance information; and malicious code protection updates. For example, cryptographic keys for encrypted files are delivered using a different channel than the file.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
System and Communications Protection · Enhancement
Employ [Assignment: controls] to ensure that only [Assignment: individuals or systems] receive the following information, system components, or devices: [Assignment: information, system components, or devices].
Discussion
Techniques employed by organizations to ensure that only designated systems or individuals receive certain information, system components, or devices include sending authenticators via an approved courier service but requiring recipients to show some form of government-issued photographic identification as a condition of receipt.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
System and Communications Protection · Base control
SC-38 · Operations Security
Control statement and discussion
NIST control statement
Employ the following operations security controls to protect key organizational information throughout the system development life cycle: [Assignment: operations security controls].
Discussion
Operations security (OPSEC) is a systematic process by which potential adversaries can be denied information about the capabilities and intentions of organizations by identifying, controlling, and protecting generally unclassified information that specifically relates to the planning and execution of sensitive organizational activities. The OPSEC process involves five steps: identification of critical information, analysis of threats, analysis of vulnerabilities, assessment of risks, and the application of appropriate countermeasures. OPSEC controls are applied to organizational systems and the environments in which those systems operate. OPSEC controls protect the confidentiality of information, including limiting the sharing of information with suppliers, potential suppliers, and other non-organizational elements and individuals. Information critical to organizational mission and business functions includes user identities, element uses, suppliers, supply chain processes, functional requirements, security requirements, system design specifications, testing and evaluation protocols, and security control implementation details.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
System and Communications Protection · Base control
SC-39 · Process Isolation
Control statement and discussion
NIST control statement
Maintain a separate execution domain for each executing system process.
Discussion
Systems can maintain separate execution domains for each executing process by assigning each process a separate address space. Each system process has a distinct address space so that communication between processes is performed in a manner controlled through the security functions, and one process cannot modify the executing code of another process. Maintaining separate execution domains for executing processes can be achieved, for example, by implementing separate address spaces. Process isolation technologies, including sandboxing or virtualization, logically separate software and firmware from other software, firmware, and data. Process isolation helps limit the access of potentially untrusted software to other system resources. The capability to maintain separate execution domains is available in commercial operating systems that employ multi-state processor technologies.
GovRAMP crosswalk
GovRAMP Moderate Readiness · SC-39 — Direct NIST identifier reference. GovRAMP source matrix
System and Communications Protection · Enhancement
Implement hardware separation mechanisms to facilitate process isolation.
Discussion
Hardware-based separation of system processes is generally less susceptible to compromise than software-based separation, thus providing greater assurance that the separation will be enforced. Hardware separation mechanisms include hardware memory management.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
System and Communications Protection · Enhancement
