IA 10 Adaptive Authentication

---
name: "IA-10_adaptive-authentication"
description: "Require individuals accessing the system to employ [organization-defined] under specific [organization-defined]."
category: "authentication"
version: "5.2.0"
author: "cyberstrike-official"
tags:
  - nist
  - sp800-53
  - rev5
  - ia-10
  - ia
tech_stack:
  - aws
  - azure
  - active-directory
  - linux
  - windows
cwe_ids:
  - CWE-287
chains_with:
  - IA-2
  - IA-8
prerequisites: []
severity_boost:
  IA-2: "Chain with IA-2 for comprehensive security coverage"
  IA-8: "Chain with IA-8 for comprehensive security coverage"
---

# IA-10 Adaptive Authentication

## High-Level Description

**Family:** Identification and Authentication (IA)
**Framework:** NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Adversaries may compromise individual authentication mechanisms employed by organizations and subsequently attempt to impersonate legitimate users. To address this threat, organizations may employ specific techniques or mechanisms and establish protocols to assess suspicious behavior. Suspicious behavior may include accessing information that individuals do not typically access as part of their duties, roles, or responsibilities; accessing greater quantities of information than individuals would routinely access; or attempting to access information from suspicious network addresses. When pre-established conditions or triggers occur, organizations can require individuals to provide additional authentication information. Another potential use for adaptive authentication is to increase the strength of mechanism based on the number or types of records being accessed. Adaptive authentication does not replace and is not used to avoid the use of multi-factor authentication mechanisms but can augment implementations of multi-factor authentication.

## What to Check

- [ ] Verify IA-10 Adaptive Authentication is documented in SSP
- [ ] Confirm control is operating effectively
- [ ] Review evidence of continuous monitoring for IA-10

## How to Test

### Step 1: Review Documentation

Examine the System Security Plan (SSP) and related artifacts for IA-10 implementation details. Verify the organization has documented how this control is satisfied.

### Step 2: Validate Implementation

```
# For cloud environments, use cloud-audit-mcp tools
# For on-premises, review system configurations directly

# Example: Check if account management policies exist
grep -r "account.management\|access.control" /etc/security/ 2>/dev/null
```

### Step 3: Test Operating Effectiveness

Verify the control is actively functioning, not just documented. Check logs, configurations, and operational evidence.

## Tools

| Tool            | Purpose                        | Usage                      |
| --------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------------------- |
| cloud-audit-mcp | Check authentication settings  | `cloud_audit_iam_policies` |
| hackbrowser | Test authentication mechanisms | `hackbrowser`        |

## Remediation Guide

### Control Statement

Require individuals accessing the system to employ [organization-defined] under specific [organization-defined].

### Implementation Guidance

Adversaries may compromise individual authentication mechanisms employed by organizations and subsequently attempt to impersonate legitimate users. To address this threat, organizations may employ specific techniques or mechanisms and establish protocols to assess suspicious behavior. Suspicious behavior may include accessing information that individuals do not typically access as part of their duties, roles, or responsibilities; accessing greater quantities of information than individuals would routinely access; or attempting to access information from suspicious network addresses. When pre-established conditions or triggers occur, organizations can require individuals to provide additional authentication information. Another potential use for adaptive authentication is to increase the strength of mechanism based on the number or types of records being accessed. Adaptive authentication does not replace and is not used to avoid the use of multi-factor authentication mechanisms but can augment implementations of multi-factor authentication.

## Risk Assessment

| Finding                                       | Severity | Impact                                       |
| --------------------------------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| IA-10 Adaptive Authentication not implemented | High     | Identification and Authentication            |
| IA-10 partially implemented                   | Medium   | Incomplete Identification and Authentication |

## CWE Categories

| CWE ID  | Title                   |
| ------- | ----------------------- |
| CWE-287 | Improper Authentication |

## References

- [NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 - IA-10](https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/cprt/catalog#/cprt/framework/version/SP_800_53_5_1_1/home?element=ia-10)
- [NIST SP 800-53A Rev 5 (Assessment Procedures)](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/a/r5/final)
- [NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Full Catalog](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/r5/upd1/final)

## Checklist

- [ ] Control documented in SSP
- [ ] Implementation evidence collected
- [ ] Operating effectiveness validated
- [ ] Continuous monitoring in place
- [ ] Related controls (IA-2, IA-8) reviewed