System Monitoring is the requirement that gives you eyes on what is actually happening inside and at the edge of your environment. It is part of the System and Information Integrity (03.14) family, and it is what surfaces the attacks, unauthorized connections, and odd traffic that the rest of your program then responds to. System Monitoring (03.14.06) has three (3) parts: monitor the system to detect attacks, indicators of potential attacks, and unauthorized connections, identify unauthorized use of the system, and monitor inbound and outbound communications traffic for unusual or unauthorized activities or conditions. Per the NIST discussion, system monitoring involves external monitoring at the system boundary and internal monitoring of events that occur within the system.
A common difficulty with this requirement is monitoring inbound traffic thoroughly and treating outbound traffic as an afterthought. Outbound monitoring is its own objective, and per the NIST discussion it is how you catch the unauthorized export of information, malicious code propagating among system components, and signaling to external systems. Teams also miss that identifying unauthorized use of the system is a distinct objective, absorbed here from a withdrawn R2 requirement.
Where things stand for companies facing the transition from NIST 800-171 R2 to R3:
The following is reproduced verbatim from NIST 800-171 R3, requirement 03.14.06 System Monitoring. Only the formatting has been adjusted for readability. This requirement has three (3) lettered parts, the first with numbered sub-parts:
The source controls are SI-04 and SI-04(04) from NIST 800-53. There are no Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs). Per the NIST discussion, a system monitoring capability is achieved through a variety of tools and techniques such as audit record monitoring software, intrusion detection systems, intrusion prevention systems, malicious code protection software, scanning tools, and network monitoring software, and strategic locations for monitoring devices include selected perimeter locations and near server farms that support critical applications. You can read the requirement directly at NIST 800-171 R3, 03.14.06 (p. 66).
None (0). Requirement 03.14.06 contains no bracketed assignment, so there is no organization-defined value to select and nothing for the DoD to specify. The requirement applies as written.
Your System Security Plan (SSP) narrative for 03.14.06 therefore records how the requirement is implemented rather than a parameter you chose.
NIST 800-171A R3 breaks 03.14.06 into six (6) determination statements, and it has no Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs). These AOs are:
Attacks (a.01[01]) and indicators of potential attacks (a.01[02]) are separate objectives, as are inbound (c[01]) and outbound (c[02]) traffic monitoring. The full guidance on assessment methods and objects, is in NIST 800-171A R3, 03.14.06 (p. 87).
Examine: system and information integrity policy and procedures; procedures for system monitoring tools and techniques; continuous monitoring strategy; facility diagram or layout; system design documentation; locations within the system where monitoring devices are deployed; system configuration settings; system protocols; system audit records; system security plan.
Interview: personnel with responsibilities for installing, configuring, or maintaining the system; personnel with system monitoring responsibilities; personnel with intrusion detection responsibilities; personnel with information security responsibilities; system administrators.
Test: processes for intrusion detection and system monitoring; mechanisms for supporting or implementing system monitoring capabilities; mechanisms for supporting or implementing intrusion detection and system monitoring capabilities; mechanisms for supporting or implementing the monitoring of inbound and outbound communications traffic.
03.14.06 maps from NIST 800-171 R2 requirement 3.14.6 (monitor organizational systems, including inbound and outbound communications traffic, to detect attacks and indicators of potential attacks), and it absorbs R2 requirement 3.14.7 (identify unauthorized use of organizational systems), which R3 withdrew and incorporated here:
Mapped against the six (6) AOs, all six (6) are direct (minimal effort), with no net-new AOs and none with no mapping. This is a clean carry-forward, with the identification of unauthorized use now living here rather than in its own requirement. Two wording shifts are worth noting: R3 explicitly adds detection of unauthorized connections, and it broadens the inbound and outbound traffic objectives from detecting attacks to detecting unusual or unauthorized activities or conditions. Note also that the R2 objective to define authorized use of the system (3.14.7[a]) is not addressed in NIST 800-171A R3.
Source Controls in NIST 800-53 R5:
Secure Controls Framework (SCF) Crosswalk
Organizations running a single control set across multiple frameworks can satisfy 03.14.06 through the following SCF controls:
The crosswalks from NIST 800-171 R3 and NIST 800-171A R3 to the SCF are available at no cost through the SCF Set Theory Relationship Mapping (STRM): https://securecontrolsframework.com/start-here/set-theory-relationship-mapping-strm. The STRM also carries the relationship type for each mapping (Equal, Subset Of, Intersects With), which tells you whether an SCF control fully satisfies the requirement or only part of it. Mapping above taken from SCF 2026.3.
The following are issues teams may encounter rather than certainties. They are about coverage in both directions and both layers, each of which needs documented evidence of due diligence and due care such as policies, standards, procedures, and configuration screenshots:
Reasonable objective evidence for an assessment is often subjective. The following examples of evidence to address NIST 800-171 R3 03.14.06 are sourced from the SCF Evidence Request List (ERL), available at https://securecontrolsframework.com/free-content/scf-download. These ERL artifacts are mapped to NIST 800-171 R3 03.14.06 through SCF controls. They establish a starting point for discussions on what an organization needs to have for evidence of due diligence and due care to withstand external scrutiny by an assessor or regulator.
Alongside these, keep the System Security Plan (SSP) narrative for 03.14.06.
With all six (6) AOs mapping directly, 03.14.06 is a moderate lift focused on confirming coverage. A realistic sequence:
How many assessment objectives does NIST 800-171 R3 03.14.06 have? NIST 800-171A R3 breaks 03.14.06 into six (6) assessment objectives. An assessor works through each one separately, so each needs its own evidence.
Which NIST 800-53 R5 controls does NIST 800-171 R3 03.14.06 come from? SI-04, SI-04(04).
How many Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs) does NIST 800-171 R3 03.14.06 have? None (0). The requirement contains no bracketed assignment, so there is no organization-defined value and nothing for the DoD to specify.
Where does NIST 800-171 R3 03.14.06 sit in the NIST 800-171 R3 Kill Chain? Phase 11, Situational Awareness (SA). The Kill Chain is a phased model for sequencing R3 implementation, and it assigns this requirement to that phase.
03.14.06 System Monitoring monitors the system to detect attacks, indicators of potential attacks, and unauthorized connections, identifies unauthorized use, and monitors inbound and outbound traffic for unusual or unauthorized activity. It maps directly from R2 3.14.6 and absorbs R2 3.14.7, so all six (6) objectives carry forward with no net-new work. The recurring problem is watching inbound traffic and neglecting outbound. Cover both directions, monitor internally as well as at the boundary, account for unauthorized use, and feed what you find into monitoring, risk response, and incident handling.
Authoritative sources:
Authoritative sources:
This guide reproduces U.S. Government text from NIST 800-171 R3 and NIST 800-171A R3. It is educational, not legal or assessment advice. Last reviewed: 2026-09-22.
