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 Withdrawn controls are retained for reference.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-12 · Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management
Control statement and discussion
NIST control statement
Establish and manage cryptographic keys when cryptography is employed within the system in accordance with the following key management requirements: [Assignment: requirements].
Discussion
Cryptographic key management and establishment can be performed using manual procedures or automated mechanisms with supporting manual procedures. Organizations define key management requirements in accordance with applicable laws, executive orders, directives, regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines and specify appropriate options, parameters, and levels. Organizations manage trust stores to ensure that only approved trust anchors are part of such trust stores. This includes certificates with visibility external to organizational systems and certificates related to the internal operations of systems. [NIST CMVP](#1acdc775-aafb-4d11-9341-dc6a822e9d38) and [NIST CAVP](#84dc1b0c-acb7-4269-84c4-00dbabacd78c) provide additional information on validated cryptographic modules and algorithms that can be used in cryptographic key management and establishment.
GovRAMP crosswalk
GovRAMP Moderate Readiness · SC-12 — Direct NIST identifier reference. GovRAMP source matrix
System and Communications Protection · Enhancement
Maintain availability of information in the event of the loss of cryptographic keys by users.
Discussion
Escrowing of encryption keys is a common practice for ensuring availability in the event of key loss. A forgotten passphrase is an example of losing a cryptographic key.
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
Produce, control, and distribute symmetric cryptographic keys using [Selection (one): NIST FIPS-validated; NSA-approved] key management technology and processes.
Discussion
[SP 800-56A](#20957dbb-6a1e-40a2-b38a-66f67d33ac2e), [SP 800-56B](#0d083d8a-5cc6-46f1-8d79-3081d42bcb75) , and [SP 800-56C](#eef62b16-c796-4554-955c-505824135b8a) provide guidance on cryptographic key establishment schemes and key derivation methods. [SP 800-57-1](#110e26af-4765-49e1-8740-6750f83fcda1), [SP 800-57-2](#e7942589-e267-4a5a-a3d9-f39a7aae81f0) , and [SP 800-57-3](#8306620b-1920-4d73-8b21-12008528595f) provide guidance on cryptographic key 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
Produce, control, and distribute asymmetric cryptographic keys using [Selection (one): NSA-approved key management technology and processes; prepositioned keying material; DoD-approved or DoD-issued Medium Assurance PKI certificates; DoD-approved or DoD-issued Medium Hardware Assurance PKI certificates and hardware security tokens that protect the user’s private key; certificates issued in accordance with organization-defined requirements].
Discussion
[SP 800-56A](#20957dbb-6a1e-40a2-b38a-66f67d33ac2e), [SP 800-56B](#0d083d8a-5cc6-46f1-8d79-3081d42bcb75) , and [SP 800-56C](#eef62b16-c796-4554-955c-505824135b8a) provide guidance on cryptographic key establishment schemes and key derivation methods. [SP 800-57-1](#110e26af-4765-49e1-8740-6750f83fcda1), [SP 800-57-2](#e7942589-e267-4a5a-a3d9-f39a7aae81f0) , and [SP 800-57-3](#8306620b-1920-4d73-8b21-12008528595f) provide guidance on cryptographic key 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 · Withdrawn
Maintain physical control of cryptographic keys when stored information is encrypted by external service providers.
Discussion
For organizations that use external service providers (e.g., cloud service or data center providers), physical control of cryptographic keys provides additional assurance that information stored by such external providers is not subject to unauthorized disclosure or modification.
GovRAMP crosswalk
Not selected in the imported Snapshot or Core sets. This does not establish exclusion from other GovRAMP baselines.
