DISCUSSION [NIST SP 800-171 R2]
Individuals with permanent physical access authorization credentials are not considered visitors. Audit logs can be used to monitor visitor activity.
FURTHER DISCUSSION
Do not allow visitors, even those people you know well, to walk around your facility without an escort. Make sure that all non-employees wear special visitor badges and/or are escorted by an employee at all times while on the property.
Example
Coming back from a meeting, you see the friend of a coworker walking down the hallway near your office. You know this person well and trust them, but are not sure why they are in the building. You stop to talk, and the person explains that they are meeting a coworker for lunch, but cannot remember where the lunchroom is. You walk the person back to the reception area to get a visitor badge and wait until someone can escort them to the lunch room [a]. You report this incident and the company decides to install a badge reader at the main door so visitors cannot enter without an escort [a].
Potential Considerations
Are personnel required to accompany visitors to areas in a facility with physical access to organizational systems [a]?
Are visitors clearly distinguishable from regular personnel [b]?
Is visitor activity monitored (e.g., use of cameras or guards, reviews of secure areas upon visitor departure, review of visitor audit logs) [b]?
Copyright
Copyright 2020, 2021 Carnegie Mellon University and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC.
Copyright 2021 Futures, Inc.
This material is based upon work funded and supported by the Department of Defense under Contract No. FA8702-15-D-0002 with Carnegie Mellon University for the operation of the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center, and under Contract No. HQ0034-13-D-0003 and Contract No. N00024-13-D-6400 with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC, a University Affiliated Research Center.
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