NIST 800-53 r5 · Controls catalogue · Family SA
SA-5System Documentation
Obtain or develop administrator documentation for the system, system component, or system service that describes: Secure configuration, installation, and operation of the system, component, or service; Effective use and maintenance of security and privacy functions and mechanisms; and Known vulnerabilities regarding configuration and use of administrative or privileged functions; Obtain or develop user documentation for the system, system component, or system service that describes: User-accessible security and privacy functions and mechanisms and how to effectively use those functions and mechanisms; Methods for user interaction, which enables individuals to use the system, component, or service in a more secure manner and protect individual privacy; and User responsibilities in maintaining the security of the system, component, or service and privacy of individuals; Document attempts to obtain system, system component, or system service documentation when such documentation is either unavailable or nonexistent and take {{ insert: param, sa-05_odp.01 }} in response; and Distribute documentation to {{ insert: param, sa-05_odp.02 }}.
Last updated: 22 August 2026 07:11 UTC
Implementations targeting this control (0)
- No implementations targeting this control yet.
ATT&CK techniques this control mitigates (0)
- No ATT&CK techniques mapped to this control yet.
Weaknesses this control addresses (9)AI-assisted
CWEs ranked by how often they appear in real CVEs. The rationale describes how this control reduces exploitability of each weakness class.
| CWE | Name | CVEs | Why this control addresses it |
|---|---|---|---|
CWE-284 | Improper Access Control | 6,900+ | Guidance on effective use of access control mechanisms and known configuration vulnerabilities makes improper access control harder to exploit. |
CWE-306 | Missing Authentication for Critical Function | 3,300+ | Secure configuration documentation explicitly addresses enabling authentication for critical functions, reducing missing authentication exposures. |
CWE-798 | Use of Hard-coded Credentials | 2,000+ | Known vulnerabilities section of admin docs covers hard-coded credentials and how to replace them, limiting their use in deployments. |
CWE-732 | Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource | 1,900+ | Documentation covering secure installation and permission settings reduces incorrect permission assignments on critical resources. |
CWE-276 | Incorrect Default Permissions | 1,800+ | Administrator documentation on secure configuration and default settings prevents incorrect default permissions from remaining in place. |
CWE-250 | Execution with Unnecessary Privileges | 300+ | Documentation on secure operation of privileged functions and known vulnerabilities directly reduces execution with unnecessary privileges. |
CWE-1188 | Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default | 300+ | Secure configuration and installation documentation prevents initialization of resources with insecure defaults. |
CWE-521 | Weak Password Requirements | 300+ | User documentation on maintaining security includes password requirements, directly mitigating weak password policies. |
CWE-1392 | Use of Default Credentials | 100+ | Documentation of known configuration vulnerabilities and secure setup practices reduces reliance on default credentials. |
Top CVEs where this control is the strongest mitigation
| CVE | Risk | CVSS | EPSS | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
CVE-2026-59084 | 6.9 | 9.1 | 0.0051 | good |
CVE-2025-3108 UPD | 5.7 | 7.5 | 0.0043 | good |
CVE-2026-48035 | 5.5 | 7.1 | 0.0026 | good |