CP – Contingency Planning

The RMF Control Family CP, Contingency Planning, addresses the need for organizations to have a plan in place to respond to and recover from security incidents.

Controls in the CP Control Family

The CP Control Family includes the following controls:

• CP-1: Contingency Planning Policy and Procedures: This control requires organizations to develop and implement a contingency planning policy and procedures. This policy should define the roles and responsibilities for contingency planning, and the process for developing and implementing contingency plans.
• CP-2: Contingency Plan: This control requires organizations to develop a contingency plan for each information system. The contingency plan should identify the essential missions and business functions of the information system, and the recovery objectives, restoration priorities, and metrics. The contingency plan should also address contingency roles, responsibilities, and assigned individuals with contact information.
• CP-3: Contingency Training: This control requires organizations to train employees on the contingency plan. The training should cover the roles and responsibilities of employees during a contingency event, and the procedures for responding to and recovering from a security incident.
• CP-4: Contingency Plan Testing: This control requires organizations to test their contingency plans on a regular basis. The testing should verify that the contingency plans are effective and that employees can execute the plans successfully.
• CP-5: Contingency Plan Update: This control requires organizations to update their contingency plans on a regular basis to reflect changes to the information system, the organization’s risk environment, and applicable laws and regulations.

Benefits of Implementing the CP Control Family

There are a number of benefits to implementing the CP Control Family, including:

• Improved resilience: The CP Control Family helps to improve the resilience of organizations to security incidents. By having a contingency plan in place, organizations can minimize the disruption to their operations and recover from security incidents more quickly.
• Reduced risk: The CP Control Family helps to reduce the risk of financial losses, reputational damage, and other negative consequences of security incidents. By having a contingency plan in place, organizations can respond to security incidents more effectively and mitigate the impact of those incidents.
• Compliance: The CP Control Family can help organizations comply with applicable laws and regulations, such as the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Increased trust: By implementing the CP Control Family, organizations can demonstrate to their customers and partners that they are taking steps to protect their data and business operations.

How to Implement the CP Control Family

To implement the CP Control Family, organizations should follow these steps:

1. Develop a contingency planning policy and procedures. This policy should define the roles and responsibilities for contingency planning, and the process for developing and implementing contingency plans.
2. Develop a contingency plan for each information system. The contingency plan should identify the essential missions and business functions of the information system, and the recovery objectives, restoration priorities, and metrics. The contingency plan should also address contingency roles, responsibilities, and assigned individuals with contact information.
3. Train employees on the contingency plan. The training should cover the roles and responsibilities of employees during a contingency event, and the procedures for responding to and recovering from a security incident.
4. Test the contingency plans on a regular basis to verify that they are effective and that employees can execute the plans successfully.
5. Update the contingency plans on a regular basis to reflect changes to the information system, the organization’s risk environment, and applicable laws and regulations.

Conclusion

The CP Control Family is an essential part of the RMF. By implementing the CP Control Family, organizations can improve their resilience to security incidents, reduce the risk of negative consequences from security incidents, comply with applicable laws and regulations, and increase trust with their customers and partners.