NIST PR.MA-2: Secure Remote Maintenance
Remote maintenance access is a critical vulnerability vector that demands strict controls. PR.MA-2 requires organizations to approve, log, and restrict remote maintenance activities to prevent unauthorized asset access. This control is essential for any business relying on third-party vendors or internal IT teams accessing systems remotely.
What this means
This control requires establishing a formal process where all remote maintenance activities—whether performed by internal staff or external vendors—are explicitly approved before execution, fully logged during and after activity, and technically restricted to prevent unauthorized access. The goal is to eliminate shadow access, maintain audit trails, and ensure only legitimate maintenance occurs on your critical assets.
How to comply
- 1.Create a remote maintenance approval policy defining who can request access, what assets qualify, and required documentation
- 2.Implement a request/approval workflow (ticketing system, change management tool) capturing business justification and approver sign-off
- 3.Deploy technical controls: multi-factor authentication, IP whitelisting, VPN requirements, and time-limited session tokens
- 4.Enable comprehensive logging of all remote sessions including connection source, asset accessed, actions performed, and duration
- 5.Conduct periodic reviews of approved maintenance activities against actual logs to detect unauthorized access attempts
- 6.Require vendors and contractors to sign remote access agreements acknowledging logging, restrictions, and acceptable use policies
- 7.Implement session recording or detailed audit logging for sensitive asset maintenance
- 8.Document and communicate the remote maintenance policy to all internal and external users with access
Evidence auditors look for
- Remote maintenance policy document with approval authority matrix and access restrictions
- Ticketing system records showing approval before each remote session
- VPN and PAM (Privileged Access Management) logs with authentication events and session details
- Session activity logs including login times, commands executed, assets accessed, and logout times
- Vendor remote access agreements signed and on file
- Quarterly audit reports comparing approved requests to actual access logs with reconciliation notes
- Multi-factor authentication configuration screenshots for remote access portals
- IP whitelist configurations limiting remote maintenance sources
Frequently asked questions
When will FAQs be available?
The FAQ for this control is currently being prepared.
GRCWatch automates remote maintenance approval workflows with pre-built ticketing integration, auto-logs all VPN and PAM connections with searchable audit trails, and generates compliance reports proving PR.MA-2 adherence without manual log review.
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