CA.L2-3.12.3: Continuous Monitoring of System Security Controls
Effective security controls degrade over time without active oversight. CA.L2-3.12.3 requires you to establish ongoing monitoring mechanisms that detect when your security controls drift from their intended state. This control ensures your system security plan remains current and your defenses stay effective against evolving threats.
What this means
CA.L2-3.12.3 mandates continuous monitoring of your information system security controls to verify they remain effective and operating as designed. Rather than one-time compliance checks, this control requires you to implement sustained oversight mechanisms—including automated scanning, periodic reviews, and real-time alerting—that catch control failures before they become security incidents. You must document the monitoring approach in your system security plan and take corrective action when controls underperform.
How to comply
- 1.Establish a monitoring schedule that covers all system security controls at regular intervals (daily, weekly, or monthly depending on risk)
- 2.Deploy automated tools to continuously scan for control deviations, misconfigurations, and non-compliance events
- 3.Document your monitoring procedures, tools, and frequency in the system security plan
- 4.Set up alerts and notifications when controls fail, drift, or produce non-compliant results
- 5.Conduct periodic manual reviews and testing to validate that automated monitoring is working correctly
- 6.Track all monitoring results and maintain audit logs of findings, exceptions, and remediation actions
- 7.Establish a process to investigate failed controls and implement corrective actions within defined timeframes
- 8.Update your system security plan when monitoring reveals gaps or when controls change
Evidence auditors look for
- System security plan documenting continuous monitoring approach, tools, and frequency
- Configuration management database or inventory showing all monitored controls
- Automated monitoring logs and dashboards showing real-time control status
- Alert/notification records demonstrating detection of control failures or deviations
- Vulnerability scan reports with timestamps and trend analysis
- Manual review documentation, test results, and control effectiveness assessments
- Corrective action records showing remediation of failed or degraded controls
- Change logs showing updates to system security plan based on monitoring findings
Frequently asked questions
When will FAQs be available?
The FAQ for this control is currently being prepared.
GRCWatch automates continuous control monitoring with built-in dashboards that track CMMC control status in real-time, generate audit-ready evidence automatically, and alert you to deviations before assessors find them.
See how GRCWatch handles this control automatically
Start free trial