Component Definition

XML Format Outline

Click the triangle next to any element to expand its structure. Element names link to their definitions below.

<component-definition> [1]
@uuid [1]: uuid
<metadata> [1]
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<responsible-party> [0 to ∞]
@role-id [1]: token
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<party-uuid/> [1 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</responsible-party>
<action> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
@date [0 or 1]: date-time-with-timezone
@type [1]: token
@system [1]: uri
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<responsible-party> [0 to ∞]
@role-id [1]: token
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<party-uuid/> [1 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</responsible-party>
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</action>
<published/> [0 or 1]
<last-modified/> [1]
<version/> [1]
<oscal-version/> [1]
<document-id/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<revision> [0 to ∞]
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<published/> [0 or 1]
<last-modified/> [0 or 1]
<version/> [1]
<oscal-version/> [0 or 1]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<title/> [0 or 1]
</revision>
<role> [0 to ∞]
@id [1]: token
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<title/> [1]
<short-name/> [0 or 1]
<description/> [0 or 1]
</role>
<location> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
<address> [0 or 1]
<addr-line/> [0 to ∞]
<city/> [0 or 1]
<state/> [0 or 1]
<postal-code/> [0 or 1]
<country/> [0 or 1]
</address>
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<email-address/> [0 to ∞]
<telephone-number/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<title/> [0 or 1]
<url/> [0 to ∞]
</location>
<party> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
@type [1]: string
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<email-address/> [0 to ∞]
<telephone-number/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<name/> [0 or 1]
<short-name/> [0 or 1]
<external-id/> [0 to ∞]
<member-of-organization/> [0 to ∞]
<address> [0 to ∞]
<addr-line/> [0 to ∞]
<city/> [0 or 1]
<state/> [0 or 1]
<postal-code/> [0 or 1]
<country/> [0 or 1]
</address>
<location-uuid/> [0 to ∞]
</party>
<title/> [1]
</metadata>
<import-component-definition> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
<remarks/> [0 to 1]
</import-component-definition>
<defined-component> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<responsible-role> [0 to ∞]
@role-id [1]: token
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<party-uuid/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</responsible-role>
<protocol> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@name [0 or 1]: string
<port-range> [0 to ∞]
@start [0 or 1]: non-negative-integer
@end [0 or 1]: non-negative-integer
@transport [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 to 1]
</port-range>
<title/> [0 or 1]
</protocol>
<control-implementation> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
@source [1]: uri-reference
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<set-parameter> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<value/> [1 to ∞]
</set-parameter>
<implemented-requirement> [1 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<set-parameter> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<value/> [1 to ∞]
</set-parameter>
<responsible-role> [0 to ∞]
@role-id [1]: token
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<party-uuid/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</responsible-role>
<statement> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<responsible-role> [0 to ∞]
@role-id [1]: token
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<party-uuid/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</responsible-role>
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<description/> [1]
</statement>
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<description/> [1]
</implemented-requirement>
<description/> [1]
</control-implementation>
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<title/> [1]
<description/> [1]
<purpose/> [0 or 1]
</defined-component>
<capability> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
@name [1]: string
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<incorporates-component> [0 to ∞]
@component-uuid [1]: uuid
<description/> [1]
</incorporates-component>
<control-implementation> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
@source [1]: uri-reference
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<set-parameter> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<value/> [1 to ∞]
</set-parameter>
<implemented-requirement> [1 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<set-parameter> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<value/> [1 to ∞]
</set-parameter>
<responsible-role> [0 to ∞]
@role-id [1]: token
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<party-uuid/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</responsible-role>
<statement> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<responsible-role> [0 to ∞]
@role-id [1]: token
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<party-uuid/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</responsible-role>
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<description/> [1]
</statement>
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<description/> [1]
</implemented-requirement>
<description/> [1]
</control-implementation>
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<description/> [1]
</capability>
<back-matter> [0 or 1]
<resource> [0 to ∞]
@uuid [1]: uuid
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<document-id/> [0 to ∞]
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
<citation> [0 or 1]
<property> [0 to ∞]
@name [1]: token
@uuid [0 or 1]: uuid
@ns [0 or 1]: uri
@value [1]: string
@class [0 or 1]: token
@group [0 or 1]: token
<remarks/> [0 or 1]
</property>
<link> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
@rel [0 or 1]: token
@resource-fragment [0 or 1]: string
<text/> [0 or 1]
</link>
<text/> [1]
</citation>
<rlink> [0 to ∞]
@href [1]: uri-reference
<hash/> [0 to ∞]
</rlink>
<title/> [0 or 1]
<description/> [0 or 1]
<base64/> [0 or 1]
</resource>
</back-matter>
</component-definition>
<component-definition> element root
DESCRIPTION A collection of component descriptions, which may optionally be grouped by capability.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this control statement elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The UUID of the control statement in the source OSCAL instance is sufficient to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance).

Child Elements (5)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<metadata> assembly [1] Provides information about the containing document, and defines concepts that are shared across the document.
<import-component-definition> assembly [0 to ∞] Loads a component definition from another resource.
<defined-component> assembly [0 to ∞] A defined component that can be part of an implemented system.
<capability> assembly [0 to ∞] A grouping of other components and/or capabilities.
<back-matter> assembly [0 or 1] A collection of resources that may be referenced from within the OSCAL document instance.

Constraints (1)

  • index for component Index "index-system-component-uuid" on component

Element Definitions (78)

<import-component-definition> element
Import Component Definition
Loads a component definition from another resource.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ href uri-reference Yes A link to a resource that defines a set of components and/or capabilities to import into this collection.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<remarks> field [0 to 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<title> field
Component Title
A human readable name for the component.
<description> field
Component Description
A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<purpose> field
Purpose
A summary of the technological or business purpose of the component.
<defined-component> element
Component
A defined component that can be part of an implemented system.

Components may be products, services, APIs, policies, processes, plans, guidance, standards, or other tangible items that enable security and/or privacy.

The type indicates which of these component types is represented.

A group of components may be aggregated into a capability. For example, an account management capability that consists of an account management process, and a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) software implementation.

Capabilities are expressed by combining one or more components.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this control statement elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The UUID of the control statement in the source OSCAL instance is sufficient to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance).

Child Elements (9)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<responsible-role> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a role with responsibility for performing a function relative to the containing object, optionally associated with a set of persons and/or organizations that perform that role.
<protocol> assembly [0 to ∞] Information about the protocol used to provide a service.
<control-implementation> assembly [0 to ∞] Defines how the component or capability supports a set of controls.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<title> field [1] A human readable name for the component.
<description> field [1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<purpose> field [0 or 1] A summary of the technological or business purpose of the component.

Constraints (10)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • version: The version of the component.
    • patch-level: The specific patch level of the component.
    • model: The model of system used by the asset.
    • release-date: The date the component was released, such as a software release date or policy publication date.
    • validation-type: Used with component-type='validation' to provide a well-known name for a kind of validation.
    • validation-reference: Used with component-type='validation' to indicate the validating body's assigned identifier for their validation of this component.
    • asset-type: Simple indication of the asset's function, such as Router, Storage Array, DNS Server.
    • asset-id: An organizationally specific identifier that is used to uniquely identify a logical or tangible item by the organization that owns the item.
    • asset-tag: An asset tag assigned by the organization responsible for maintaining the logical or tangible item.
    • public: Identifies whether the asset is publicly accessible (yes/no)
    • virtual: Identifies whether the asset is virtualized (yes/no)
    • vlan-id: Virtual LAN identifier of the asset.
    • network-id: The network identifier of the asset.
    • label: A human-readable label for the parent context.
    • sort-id: An alternative identifier, whose value is easily sortable among other such values in the document.
    • baseline-configuration-name: The name of the baseline configuration for the asset.
    • allows-authenticated-scan: Can the asset be check with an authenticated scan? (yes/no)
    • function: The function provided by the asset for the system.
    • hardware-model: **(deprecated)** Use 'model' instead.
    • model: The model of system used by the asset.
    • os-name: The name of the operating system used by the asset.
    • os-version: The version of the operating system used by the asset.
    • software-name: The software product name used by the asset.
    • software-version: The software product version used by the asset.
    • software-patch-level: The software product patch level used by the asset.
  • allowed-values for link/@rel
    • depends-on: A reference to another component that this component has a dependency on.
    • validation: An external assessment performed on some other component, that has been validated by a third-party.
    • proof-of-compliance: A pointer to a validation record (e.g., FIPS 140-2) or other compliance information.
    • baseline-template: A reference to the baseline template used to configure the asset.
    • uses-service: This service is used by the referenced component identifier.
    • system-security-plan: A link to the system security plan of the external system.
    • uses-network: This component uses the network provided by the identified network component.
  • allowed-values for responsible-role/@role-id|control-implementation/implemented-requirement/responsible-role/@role-id|control-implementation/implemented-requirement/statement/responsible-role/@role-id
    • asset-owner: Accountable for ensuring the asset is managed in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.
    • asset-administrator: Responsible for administering a set of assets.
    • security-operations: Members of the security operations center (SOC).
    • network-operations: Members of the network operations center (NOC).
    • incident-response: Responsible for responding to an event that could lead to loss of, or disruption to, an organization's operations, services or functions.
    • help-desk: Responsible for providing information and support to users.
    • configuration-management: Responsible for the configuration management processes governing changes to the asset.
    • maintainer: Responsible for the creation and maintenance of a component.
    • provider: Organization responsible for providing the component, if this is different from the "maintainer" (e.g., a reseller).
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='asset-type']/@value
    • operating-system: System software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
    • database: An electronic collection of data, or information, that is specially organized for rapid search and retrieval.
    • web-server: A system that delivers content or services to end users over the Internet or an intranet.
    • dns-server: A system that resolves domain names to internet protocol (IP) addresses.
    • email-server: A computer system that sends and receives electronic mail messages.
    • directory-server: A system that stores, organizes and provides access to directory information in order to unify network resources.
    • pbx: A private branch exchange (PBX) provides a a private telephone switchboard.
    • firewall: A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
    • router: A physical or virtual networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks.
    • switch: A physical or virtual networking device that connects devices within a computer network by using packet switching to receive and forward data to the destination device.
    • storage-array: A consolidated, block-level data storage capability.
    • appliance: A physical or virtual machine that centralizes hardware, software, or services for a specific purpose.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='allows-authenticated-scan']/@value
    • yes: The component is publicly accessible.
    • no: The component is not publicly accessible.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='virtual']/@value
    • yes: The component is publicly accessible.
    • no: The component is not publicly accessible.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='public']/@value
    • yes: The component is publicly accessible.
    • no: The component is not publicly accessible.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='implementation-point']/@value
    • internal: The component is implemented within the system boundary.
    • external: The component is implemented outside the system boundary.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type='software']/prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • software-identifier: If a "software" component-type, the identifier, such as a SWID tag, for the software component.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type='service']/link/@rel
    • provided-by: This service is provided by the referenced component identifier.
    • used-by: This service is used by the referenced component identifier.
<capability> element
Capability
A grouping of other components and/or capabilities.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this control statement elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The UUID of the control statement in the source OSCAL instance is sufficient to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance).
@ name string Yes The capability's human-readable name.

Child Elements (6)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<incorporates-component> assembly [0 to ∞] The collection of components comprising this capability.
<control-implementation> assembly [0 to ∞] Defines how the component or capability supports a set of controls.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<description> field [1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<incorporates-component> element
Incorporates Component
The collection of components comprising this capability.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ component-uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented identifier reference to a component.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<description> field [1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<control-implementation> element
Control Implementation Set
Defines how the component or capability supports a set of controls.

Use of set-parameter in this context, sets the parameter for all controls referenced by any implemented-requirement contained in this context. Any set-parameter defined in a child context will override this value. If not overridden by a child, this value applies in the child context.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this control statement elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The UUID of the control statement in the source OSCAL instance is sufficient to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance).
@ source uri-reference Yes A reference to an OSCAL catalog or profile providing the referenced control or subcontrol definition.

Child Elements (5)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<set-parameter> assembly [0 to ∞] Identifies the parameter that will be set by the enclosed value.
<implemented-requirement> assembly [1 to ∞] Describes how the containing component or capability implements an individual control.
<description> field [1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<implemented-requirement> element
Control Implementation
Describes how the containing component or capability implements an individual control.

Implemented requirements within a component or capability in a component definition provide a means for component suppliers to suggest possible control implementation details, which may be used by a different party (e.g., component consumers) when authoring a system security plan. Thus, these requirements defined in a component definition are only a suggestion of how to implement, which may be adopted wholesale, changed, or ignored by a person defining an information system implementation.

Use of set-parameter in this context, sets the parameter for the referenced control and any associated statements.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this control statement elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The UUID of the control statement in the source OSCAL instance is sufficient to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance).

Child Elements (7)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<set-parameter> assembly [0 to ∞] Identifies the parameter that will be set by the enclosed value.
<responsible-role> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a role with responsibility for performing a function relative to the containing object, optionally associated with a set of persons and/or organizations that perform that role.
<statement> assembly [0 to ∞] Identifies which statements within a control are addressed.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<description> field [1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<statement> element
Control Statement Implementation
Identifies which statements within a control are addressed.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this control statement elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The UUID of the control statement in the source OSCAL instance is sufficient to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance).

Child Elements (5)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<responsible-role> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a role with responsibility for performing a function relative to the containing object, optionally associated with a set of persons and/or organizations that perform that role.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<description> field [1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<status> element
Status
Describes the operational status of the system component.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ state token Yes Identifies the implementation status of the control or control objective.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<system-component> element
Component
A defined component that can be part of an implemented system.

Components may be products, services, application programming interface (APIs), policies, processes, plans, guidance, standards, or other tangible items that enable security and/or privacy.

The type indicates which of these component types is represented.

When defining a service component where are relationship to other components is known, one or more link entries with rel values of provided-by and used-by can be used to link to the specific component identifier(s) that provide and use the service respectively.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this inventory item elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The locally defined UUID of the inventory item can be used to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance). This UUID should be assigned per-subject, which means it should be consistently used to identify the same subject across revisions of the document.

Child Elements (9)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<responsible-role> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a role with responsibility for performing a function relative to the containing object, optionally associated with a set of persons and/or organizations that perform that role.
<protocol> assembly [0 to ∞] Information about the protocol used to provide a service.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<status> assembly [1] Describes the operational status of the system component.
<title> field [1] A human readable name for the component.
<description> field [1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<purpose> field [0 or 1] A summary of the technological or business purpose of the component.

Constraints (18)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • implementation-point: Relative placement of component ('internal' or 'external') to the system.
    • leveraged-authorization-uuid: UUID of the related leveraged-authorization assembly in this SSP.
    • inherited-uuid: UUID of the component as it was assigned in the leveraged system's SSP.
    • asset-type: Simple indication of the asset's function, such as Router, Storage Array, DNS Server.
    • asset-id: An organizationally specific identifier that is used to uniquely identify a logical or tangible item by the organization that owns the item.
    • asset-tag: An asset tag assigned by the organization responsible for maintaining the logical or tangible item.
    • public: Identifies whether the asset is publicly accessible (yes/no)
    • virtual: Identifies whether the asset is virtualized (yes/no)
    • vlan-id: Virtual LAN identifier of the asset.
    • network-id: The network identifier of the asset.
    • label: A human-readable label for the parent context.
    • sort-id: An alternative identifier, whose value is easily sortable among other such values in the document.
    • baseline-configuration-name: The name of the baseline configuration for the asset.
    • allows-authenticated-scan: Can the asset be check with an authenticated scan? (yes/no)
    • function: The function provided by the asset for the system.
    • hardware-model: **(deprecated)** Use 'model' instead.
    • model: The model of system used by the asset.
    • os-name: The name of the operating system used by the asset.
    • os-version: The version of the operating system used by the asset.
    • software-name: The software product name used by the asset.
    • software-version: The software product version used by the asset.
    • software-patch-level: The software product patch level used by the asset.
    • version: The version of the component.
    • patch-level: The specific patch level of the component.
    • model: The model of system used by the asset.
    • release-date: The date the component was released, such as a software release date or policy publication date.
    • validation-type: Used with component-type='validation' to provide a well-known name for a kind of validation.
    • validation-reference: Used with component-type='validation' to indicate the validating body's assigned identifier for their validation of this component.
  • allowed-values for link/@rel
    • depends-on: A reference to another component that this component has a dependency on.
    • validation: An external assessment performed on some other component, that has been validated by a third-party.
    • proof-of-compliance: A pointer to a validation record (e.g., FIPS 140-2) or other compliance information.
    • baseline-template: A reference to the baseline template used to configure the asset.
    • uses-service: This service is used by the referenced component identifier.
    • system-security-plan: A link to the system security plan of the external system.
    • uses-network: This component uses the network provided by the identified network component.
    • imported-from: The hyperlink identifies a URI pointing to the component in a component-definition that originally defined the component.
  • allowed-values for responsible-role/@role-id
    • asset-owner: Accountable for ensuring the asset is managed in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.
    • asset-administrator: Responsible for administering a set of assets.
    • security-operations: Members of the security operations center (SOC).
    • network-operations: Members of the network operations center (NOC).
    • incident-response: Responsible for responding to an event that could lead to loss of, or disruption to, an organization's operations, services or functions.
    • help-desk: Responsible for providing information and support to users.
    • configuration-management: Responsible for the configuration management processes governing changes to the asset.
    • maintainer: Responsible for the creation and maintenance of a component.
    • provider: Organization responsible for providing the component, if this is different from the "maintainer" (e.g., a reseller).
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='asset-type']/@value
    • operating-system: System software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
    • database: An electronic collection of data, or information, that is specially organized for rapid search and retrieval.
    • web-server: A system that delivers content or services to end users over the Internet or an intranet.
    • dns-server: A system that resolves domain names to internet protocol (IP) addresses.
    • email-server: A computer system that sends and receives electronic mail messages.
    • directory-server: A system that stores, organizes and provides access to directory information in order to unify network resources.
    • pbx: A private branch exchange (PBX) provides a a private telephone switchboard.
    • firewall: A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
    • router: A physical or virtual networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks.
    • switch: A physical or virtual networking device that connects devices within a computer network by using packet switching to receive and forward data to the destination device.
    • storage-array: A consolidated, block-level data storage capability.
    • appliance: A physical or virtual machine that centralizes hardware, software, or services for a specific purpose.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='allows-authenticated-scan']/@value
    • yes: The asset is included in periodic vulnerability scanning.
    • no: The asset is not included in periodic vulnerability scanning.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='public']/@value
    • yes: The asset is included in periodic vulnerability scanning.
    • no: The asset is not included in periodic vulnerability scanning.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='virtual']/@value
    • yes: The asset is included in periodic vulnerability scanning.
    • no: The asset is not included in periodic vulnerability scanning.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='implementation-point']/@value
    • internal: A user account for a person or entity that is part of the organization who owns or operates the system.
    • external: A user account for a person or entity that is not part of the organization who owns or operates the system.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type=('software', 'hardware', 'service')]/prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • vendor-name: The name of the company or organization
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type='validation']/link/@rel
    • validation-details: A link to an online information provided by the authorizing body.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type='software']/prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • software-identifier: If a "software" component-type, the identifier, such as a SWID tag, for the software component.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type='service']/link/@rel
    • provided-by: This service is provided by the referenced component identifier.
    • used-by: This service is used by the referenced component identifier.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type='interconnection']/prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • isa-title: Title of the Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA).
    • isa-date: Date of the Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA).
    • isa-remote-system-name: The name of the remote interconnected system.
    • ipv4-address: The Internet Protocol v4 Address of the asset.
    • ipv6-address: The Internet Protocol v6 Address of the asset.
    • direction: The direction categorizes the network connectivity of an interconnection, service, or software component.
    • uri: A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the asset.
    • fqdn: The full-qualified domain name (FQDN) of the asset.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type=('interconnection', 'service', 'software', 'system')]/prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • ipv4-address: The Internet Protocol v4 Address of the asset.
    • ipv6-address: The Internet Protocol v6 Address of the asset.
    • direction: The direction categorizes the network connectivity of an interconnection, service, or software component.
    • uri: A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the asset.
    • fqdn: The full-qualified domain name (FQDN) of the asset.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name=('ipv4-address','ipv6-address')]/@class
    • local: The identified IP address is for this system.
    • remote: The identified IP address is for the remote system to which this system is connected.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type='interconnection']/link/@rel
    • isa-agreement: A link to the system interconnection agreement.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type='interconnection']/responsible-role/@role-id
    • isa-poc-local: Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) point of contact (POC) for this system.
    • isa-poc-remote: Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) point of contact (POC) for the remote interconnected system.
    • isa-authorizing-official-local: Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) authorizing official for this system.
    • isa-authorizing-official-remote: Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) authorizing official for the remote interconnected system.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='direction']/@value
    • incoming: Data from the remote system flows into this system.
    • outgoing: Data from this system flows to the remote system.
<protocol> element
Service Protocol Information
Information about the protocol used to provide a service.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid No A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this inventory item elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The locally defined UUID of the inventory item can be used to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance). This UUID should be assigned per-subject, which means it should be consistently used to identify the same subject across revisions of the document.
@ name string No The common name of the protocol, which should be the appropriate "service name" from the IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry.

Child Elements (2)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<port-range> assembly [0 to ∞] Where applicable this is the transport layer protocol port range an IPv4-based or IPv6-based service uses.
<title> field [0 or 1] A human readable name for the component.

Constraints (1)

  • expect for . Test: @uuid
<port-range> element
Port Range
Where applicable this is the transport layer protocol port range an IPv4-based or IPv6-based service uses.

To be validated as a natural number (integer >= 1). A single port uses the same value for start and end. Use multiple 'port-range' entries for non-contiguous ranges.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ start non-negative-integer No Indicates the starting port number in a port range for a transport layer protocol
@ end non-negative-integer No Indicates the ending port number in a port range for a transport layer protocol
@ transport token No Indicates the transport type.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<remarks> field [0 to 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.

Constraints (3)

  • expect for . Test: exists(@start)
  • expect for . Test: exists(@end)
  • expect for . Test: not(@start > @end)
<implementation-status> element
Implementation Status
Indicates the degree to which the a given control is implemented.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ state token Yes Identifies the implementation status of the control or control objective.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<remarks> field [0 to 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<short-name> field
User Short Name
A short common name, abbreviation, or acronym for the user.
<system-user> element
System User
A type of user that interacts with the system based on an associated role.

Permissible values to be determined closer to the application, such as by a receiving authority.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this inventory item elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The locally defined UUID of the inventory item can be used to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance). This UUID should be assigned per-subject, which means it should be consistently used to identify the same subject across revisions of the document.

Child Elements (8)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<authorized-privilege> assembly [0 to ∞] Identifies a specific system privilege held by the user, along with an associated description and/or rationale for the privilege.
<role-id> field [0 to ∞] Reference to a role by UUID.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<title> field [0 or 1] A human readable name for the component.
<short-name> field [0 or 1] A short common name, abbreviation, or acronym for the user.
<description> field [0 or 1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.

Constraints (4)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • type: The type of user, such as internal, external, or general-public.
    • privilege-level: The user's privilege level within the system, such as privileged, non-privileged, no-logical-access.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='type']/@value
    • internal: A user account for a person or entity that is part of the organization who owns or operates the system.
    • external: A user account for a person or entity that is not part of the organization who owns or operates the system.
    • general-public: A user of the system considered to be outside
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='privilege-level']/@value
    • privileged: This role has elevated access to the system, such as a group or system administrator.
    • non-privileged: This role has typical user-level access to the system without elevated access.
    • no-logical-access: This role has no access to the system, such as a manager who approves access as part of a process.
  • allowed-values for role-id
    • asset-owner: Accountable for ensuring the asset is managed in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.
    • asset-administrator: Responsible for administering a set of assets.
    • security-operations: Members of the security operations center (SOC).
    • network-operations: Members of the network operations center (NOC).
    • incident-response: Responsible for responding to an event that could lead to loss of, or disruption to, an organization's operations, services or functions.
    • help-desk: Responsible for providing information and support to users.
    • configuration-management: Responsible for the configuration management processes governing changes to the asset.
<authorized-privilege> element
Privilege
Identifies a specific system privilege held by the user, along with an associated description and/or rationale for the privilege.

Child Elements (3)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<function-performed> field [1 to ∞] Describes a function performed for a given authorized privilege by this user class.
<title> field [1] A human readable name for the component.
<description> field [0 or 1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<implemented-component> element
Implemented Component
The set of components that are implemented in a given system inventory item.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ component-uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented identifier reference to a component that is implemented as part of an inventory item.

Child Elements (4)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<responsible-party> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a set of persons and/or organizations that have responsibility for performing the referenced role in the context of the containing object.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.

Constraints (2)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • version: The version of the component.
    • patch-level: The specific patch level of the component.
    • model: The model of system used by the asset.
    • release-date: The date the component was released, such as a software release date or policy publication date.
    • validation-type: Used with component-type='validation' to provide a well-known name for a kind of validation.
    • validation-reference: Used with component-type='validation' to indicate the validating body's assigned identifier for their validation of this component.
    • asset-type: Simple indication of the asset's function, such as Router, Storage Array, DNS Server.
    • asset-id: An organizationally specific identifier that is used to uniquely identify a logical or tangible item by the organization that owns the item.
    • asset-tag: An asset tag assigned by the organization responsible for maintaining the logical or tangible item.
    • public: Identifies whether the asset is publicly accessible (yes/no)
    • virtual: Identifies whether the asset is virtualized (yes/no)
    • vlan-id: Virtual LAN identifier of the asset.
    • network-id: The network identifier of the asset.
    • label: A human-readable label for the parent context.
    • sort-id: An alternative identifier, whose value is easily sortable among other such values in the document.
    • baseline-configuration-name: The name of the baseline configuration for the asset.
    • allows-authenticated-scan: Can the asset be check with an authenticated scan? (yes/no)
    • function: The function provided by the asset for the system.
    • hardware-model: **(deprecated)** Use 'model' instead.
    • model: The model of system used by the asset.
    • os-name: The name of the operating system used by the asset.
    • os-version: The version of the operating system used by the asset.
    • software-name: The software product name used by the asset.
    • software-version: The software product version used by the asset.
    • software-patch-level: The software product patch level used by the asset.
  • allowed-values for responsible-party/@role-id
    • asset-owner: Accountable for ensuring the asset is managed in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.
    • asset-administrator: Responsible for administering a set of assets.
    • security-operations: Members of the security operations center (SOC).
    • network-operations: Members of the network operations center (NOC).
    • incident-response: Responsible for responding to an event that could lead to loss of, or disruption to, an organization's operations, services or functions.
    • help-desk: Responsible for providing information and support to users.
    • configuration-management: Responsible for the configuration management processes governing changes to the asset.
<inventory-item> element
Inventory Item
A single managed inventory item within the system.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A machine-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this inventory item elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. The locally defined UUID of the inventory item can be used to reference the data item locally or globally (e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance). This UUID should be assigned per-subject, which means it should be consistently used to identify the same subject across revisions of the document.

Child Elements (6)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<responsible-party> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a set of persons and/or organizations that have responsibility for performing the referenced role in the context of the containing object.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<implemented-component> assembly [0 to ∞] The set of components that are implemented in a given system inventory item.
<description> field [1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.

Constraints (6)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • ipv4-address: The Internet Protocol v4 Address of the asset.
    • ipv6-address: The Internet Protocol v6 Address of the asset.
    • fqdn: The full-qualified domain name (FQDN) of the asset.
    • uri: A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the asset.
    • serial-number: A serial number for the asset.
    • netbios-name: The NetBIOS name for the asset.
    • mac-address: The media access control (MAC) address for the asset.
    • physical-location: The physical location of the asset's hardware (e.g., Data Center ID, Cage#, Rack#, or other meaningful location identifiers).
    • is-scanned: is the asset subjected to network scans? (yes/no)
    • asset-type: Simple indication of the asset's function, such as Router, Storage Array, DNS Server.
    • asset-id: An organizationally specific identifier that is used to uniquely identify a logical or tangible item by the organization that owns the item.
    • asset-tag: An asset tag assigned by the organization responsible for maintaining the logical or tangible item.
    • public: Identifies whether the asset is publicly accessible (yes/no)
    • virtual: Identifies whether the asset is virtualized (yes/no)
    • vlan-id: Virtual LAN identifier of the asset.
    • network-id: The network identifier of the asset.
    • label: A human-readable label for the parent context.
    • sort-id: An alternative identifier, whose value is easily sortable among other such values in the document.
    • baseline-configuration-name: The name of the baseline configuration for the asset.
    • allows-authenticated-scan: Can the asset be check with an authenticated scan? (yes/no)
    • function: The function provided by the asset for the system.
    • hardware-model: **(deprecated)** Use 'model' instead.
    • model: The model of system used by the asset.
    • os-name: The name of the operating system used by the asset.
    • os-version: The version of the operating system used by the asset.
    • software-name: The software product name used by the asset.
    • software-version: The software product version used by the asset.
    • software-patch-level: The software product patch level used by the asset.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='asset-type']/@value
    • operating-system: System software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
    • database: An electronic collection of data, or information, that is specially organized for rapid search and retrieval.
    • web-server: A system that delivers content or services to end users over the Internet or an intranet.
    • dns-server: A system that resolves domain names to internet protocol (IP) addresses.
    • email-server: A computer system that sends and receives electronic mail messages.
    • directory-server: A system that stores, organizes and provides access to directory information in order to unify network resources.
    • pbx: A private branch exchange (PBX) provides a a private telephone switchboard.
    • firewall: A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
    • router: A physical or virtual networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks.
    • switch: A physical or virtual networking device that connects devices within a computer network by using packet switching to receive and forward data to the destination device.
    • storage-array: A consolidated, block-level data storage capability.
    • appliance: A physical or virtual machine that centralizes hardware, software, or services for a specific purpose.
  • allowed-values for (.)[@type=('software', 'hardware', 'service')]/prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • vendor-name: The name of the company or organization
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='is-scanned']/@value
    • yes: The asset is included in periodic vulnerability scanning.
    • no: The asset is not included in periodic vulnerability scanning.
  • allowed-values for link/@rel
    • baseline-template: A reference to the baseline template used to configure the asset.
  • allowed-values for responsible-party/@role-id
    • asset-owner: Accountable for ensuring the asset is managed in accordance with organizational policies and procedures.
    • asset-administrator: Responsible for administering a set of assets.
    • security-operations: Members of the security operations center (SOC).
    • network-operations: Members of the network operations center (NOC).
    • incident-response: Responsible for responding to an event that could lead to loss of, or disruption to, an organization's operations, services or functions.
    • help-desk: Responsible for providing information and support to users.
    • configuration-management: Responsible for the configuration management processes governing changes to the asset.
    • maintainer: Responsible for the creation and maintenance of a component.
    • provider: Organization responsible for providing the component, if this is different from the "maintainer" (e.g., a reseller).
<value> field
Parameter Value
A parameter value or set of values.
<set-parameter> element
Set Parameter Value
Identifies the parameter that will be set by the enclosed value.

Child Elements (2)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<value> field [1 to ∞] A parameter value or set of values.
<function-performed> field
Functions Performed
Describes a function performed for a given authorized privilege by this user class.
<system-id> field
System Identification
A human-oriented, globally unique identifier with cross-instance scope that can be used to reference this system identification property elsewhere in this or other OSCAL instances. When referencing an externally defined system identification, the system identification must be used in the context of the external / imported OSCAL instance (e.g., uri-reference). This string should be assigned per-subject, which means it should be consistently used to identify the same system across revisions of the document.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ identifier-type uri No Identifies the identification system from which the provided identifier was assigned.
<revision> element
Revision History Entry
An entry in a sequential list of revisions to the containing document, expected to be in reverse chronological order (i.e. latest first).

While published, last-modified, and oscal-version are not required, values for these entries should be provided if the information is known. A link with a rel of source should be provided if the information is known.

Child Elements (8)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<published> field [0 or 1] The date and time the document was last made available.
<last-modified> field [0 or 1] The date and time the document was last stored for later retrieval.
<version> field [1] Used to distinguish a specific revision of an OSCAL document from other previous and future versions.
<oscal-version> field [0 or 1] The OSCAL model version the document was authored against and will conform to as valid.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<title> field [0 or 1] A human readable name for the component.

Constraints (1)

  • allowed-values for link/@rel
    • canonical: The link identifies the authoritative location for this resource. Defined by RFC 6596.
    • alternate: The link identifies an alternative location or format for this resource. Defined by the HTML Living Standard
    • predecessor-version: This link identifies a resource containing the predecessor version in the version history. Defined by RFC 5829.
    • successor-version: This link identifies a resource containing the predecessor version in the version history. Defined by RFC 5829.
    • version-history: This link identifies a resource containing the version history of this document. Defined by RFC 5829.
<role> element
Role
Defines a function, which might be assigned to a party in a specific situation.

Permissible values to be determined closer to the application (e.g. by a receiving authority).

OSCAL has defined a set of standardized roles for consistent use in OSCAL documents. This allows tools consuming OSCAL content to infer specific semantics when these roles are used. These roles are documented in the specific contexts of their use (e.g., responsible-party, responsible-role). When using such a role, it is necessary to define these roles in this list, which will then allow such a role to be referenced.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ id token Yes A unique identifier for the role.

Child Elements (6)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<title> field [1] A human readable name for the component.
<short-name> field [0 or 1] A short common name, abbreviation, or acronym for the user.
<description> field [0 or 1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<url> field
Location URL
The uniform resource locator (URL) for a web site or other resource associated with the location.

This data field is deprecated in favor of using a link with an appropriate relationship.

<location> element
Location
A physical point of presence, which may be associated with people, organizations, or other concepts within the current or linked OSCAL document.

An address might be sensitive in nature. In such cases a title, mailing address, email-address, and/or phone number may be used instead.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A unique identifier that can be used to reference this defined action elsewhere in an OSCAL document. A UUID should be consistently used for a given location across revisions of the document.

Child Elements (8)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<address> assembly [0 or 1] A postal address for the location.
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<email-address> field [0 to ∞] An email address as defined by RFC 5322 Section 3.4.1.
<telephone-number> field [0 to ∞] A telephone service number as defined by ITU-T E.164.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<title> field [0 or 1] A human readable name for the component.
<url> field [0 to ∞] The uniform resource locator (URL) for a web site or other resource associated with the location.

Constraints (3)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • type: Identifies the type of resource represented. The most specific appropriate type value SHOULD be used.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='type']/@value
    • data-center: A location that contains computing assets. A class can be used to indicate the sub-type of data-center as primary or alternate.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='type' and @value='data-center']/@class
    • primary: The location is a data-center used for normal operations.
    • alternate: The link identifies an alternative location or format for this resource. Defined by the HTML Living Standard
<name> field
Party Name
The full name of the party. This is typically the legal name associated with the party.
<external-id> field
Party External Identifier
An identifier for a person or organization using a designated scheme. e.g. an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID).

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ scheme uri Yes Qualifies the kind of document identifier using a URI. If the scheme is not provided the value of the element will be interpreted as a string of characters.
<member-of-organization> field
Organizational Affiliation
A reference to another party by UUID, typically an organization, that this subject is associated with.

Since the reference target of an organizational affiliation must be another party (whether further qualified as person or organization) as indicated by its uuid. As a machine-oriented identifier with uniqueness across document and trans-document scope, this uuid value is sufficient to reference the data item locally or globally across related documents, e.g., in an imported OSCAL instance.

Parties of both the person or organization type can be associated with an organization using the member-of-organization.

<party> element
Party
An organization or person, which may be associated with roles or other concepts within the current or linked OSCAL document.

A party can be optionally associated with either an address or a location. While providing a meaningful location for a party is desired, there are some cases where it might not be possible to provide an exact location or even any location.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A unique identifier that can be used to reference this defined action elsewhere in an OSCAL document. A UUID should be consistently used for a given location across revisions of the document.
@ type string Yes Indicates the type of phone number.

Child Elements (11)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<email-address> field [0 to ∞] An email address as defined by RFC 5322 Section 3.4.1.
<telephone-number> field [0 to ∞] A telephone service number as defined by ITU-T E.164.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<name> field [0 or 1] The full name of the party. This is typically the legal name associated with the party.
<short-name> field [0 or 1] A short common name, abbreviation, or acronym for the user.
<external-id> field [0 to ∞] An identifier for a person or organization using a designated scheme. e.g. an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID).
<member-of-organization> field [0 to ∞] A reference to another party by UUID, typically an organization, that this subject is associated with.
<address> assembly [0 to ∞] A postal address for the location.
<location-uuid> field [0 to ∞] Reference to a location by UUID.

Constraints (1)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • mail-stop: A mail stop associated with the party.
    • office: An office phone number.
    • job-title: The formal job title of a person.
<metadata> element
Document Metadata
Provides information about the containing document, and defines concepts that are shared across the document.

All OSCAL documents use the same metadata structure, that provides a consistent way of expressing OSCAL document metadata across all OSCAL models. The metadata section also includes declarations of individual objects (i.e., roles, location, parties) that may be referenced within and across linked OSCAL documents.

The metadata in an OSCAL document has few required fields, representing only the bare minimum data needed to differentiate one instance from another. Tools and users creating OSCAL documents may choose to use any of the optional fields, as well as extension mechanisms (e.g., properties, links) to go beyond this minimum to suit their use cases.

A publisher of OSCAL content can use the published, last-modified, and version fields to establish information about an individual in a sequence of successive revisions of a given OSCAL-based publication. The metadata for a previous revision can be represented as a revision within this object. Links may also be provided using the predecessor-version and successor-version link relations to provide for direct access to the related resource. These relations can be provided as a link child of this object or as link within a given revision.

A responsible-party entry in this context refers to roles and parties that have responsibility relative to the production, review, publication, and use of the containing document.

Child Elements (15)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<responsible-party> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a set of persons and/or organizations that have responsibility for performing the referenced role in the context of the containing object.
<action> assembly [0 to ∞] An action applied by a role within a given party to the content.
<published> field [0 or 1] The date and time the document was last made available.
<last-modified> field [1] The date and time the document was last stored for later retrieval.
<version> field [1] Used to distinguish a specific revision of an OSCAL document from other previous and future versions.
<oscal-version> field [1] The OSCAL model version the document was authored against and will conform to as valid.
<document-id> field [0 to ∞] A document identifier qualified by an identifier scheme.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<revision> assembly [0 to ∞] An entry in a sequential list of revisions to the containing document, expected to be in reverse chronological order (i.e. latest first).
<role> assembly [0 to ∞] Defines a function, which might be assigned to a party in a specific situation.
<location> assembly [0 to ∞] A physical point of presence, which may be associated with people, organizations, or other concepts within the current or linked OSCAL document.
<party> assembly [0 to ∞] An organization or person, which may be associated with roles or other concepts within the current or linked OSCAL document.
<title> field [1] A human readable name for the component.

Constraints (9)

  • allowed-values for responsible-party/@role-id
    • creator: Indicates the person or organization that created this content.
    • prepared-by: Indicates the person or organization that prepared this content.
    • prepared-for: Indicates the person or organization for which this content was created.
    • content-approver: Indicates the person or organization responsible for all content represented in the "document".
    • contact: Indicates the person or organization to contact for questions or support related to this content.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • keywords: The value identifies a comma-seperated listing of keywords associated with this content. These keywords may be used as search terms for indexing and other applications.
  • allowed-values for link/@rel
    • canonical: The link identifies the authoritative location for this resource. Defined by RFC 6596.
    • alternate: The link identifies an alternative location or format for this resource. Defined by the HTML Living Standard
    • latest-version: This link identifies a resource containing the latest version in the version history. Defined by RFC 5829.
    • predecessor-version: This link identifies a resource containing the predecessor version in the version history. Defined by RFC 5829.
    • successor-version: This link identifies a resource containing the predecessor version in the version history. Defined by RFC 5829.
  • index for role Index "index-metadata-role-ids" on role
  • index for .//prop Index "index-metadata-property-uuid" on .//prop
  • index for role Index "index-metadata-role-id" on role
  • index for location Index "index-metadata-location-uuid" on location
  • index for party Index "index-metadata-party-uuid" on party
  • index for party[@type='organization'] Index "index-metadata-party-organizations-uuid" on party[@type='organization']
<text> field
Citation Text
A textual label to associate with the link, which may be used for presentation in a tool.
<citation> element
Citation
An optional citation consisting of end note text using structured markup.

Child Elements (3)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<text> field [1] A textual label to associate with the link, which may be used for presentation in a tool.
<base64> field
Base64
A resource encoded using the Base64 alphabet defined by RFC 2045.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ filename token No Name of the file before it was encoded as Base64 to be embedded in a resource. This is the name that will be assigned to the file when the file is decoded.
<resource> element
Resource
A resource associated with content in the containing document instance. A resource may be directly included in the document using base64 encoding or may point to one or more equivalent internet resources.

A resource can be used in two ways. 1) it may point to an specific retrievable network resource using a rlink, or 2) it may be included as an attachment using a base64. A resource may contain multiple rlink and base64 entries that represent alternative download locations (rlink) and attachments (base64) for the same resource.

Both rlink and base64 allow for a media-type to be specified, which is used to distinguish between different representations of the same resource (e.g., Microsoft Word, PDF). When multiple rlink and base64 items are included for a given resource, all items must contain equivalent information. This allows the document consumer to choose a preferred item to process based on a the selected item's media-type. This is extremely important when the items represent OSCAL content that is represented in alternate formats (i.e., XML, JSON, YAML), allowing the same OSCAL data to be processed from any of the available formats indicated by the items.

When a resource includes a citation, then the title and citation properties must both be included.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A unique identifier that can be used to reference this defined action elsewhere in an OSCAL document. A UUID should be consistently used for a given location across revisions of the document.

Child Elements (8)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<document-id> field [0 to ∞] A document identifier qualified by an identifier scheme.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<citation> assembly [0 or 1] An optional citation consisting of end note text using structured markup.
<rlink> assembly [0 to ∞] A URL-based pointer to an external resource with an optional hash for verification and change detection.
<title> field [0 or 1] A human readable name for the component.
<description> field [0 or 1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<base64> field [0 or 1] A resource encoded using the Base64 alphabet defined by RFC 2045.

Constraints (3)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • type: Identifies the type of resource represented. The most specific appropriate type value SHOULD be used.
    • version: For resources representing a published document, this represents the version number of that document.
    • published: For resources representing a published document, this represents the publication date of that document.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal') and @name='type']/@value
    • logo: Indicates the resource is an organization's logo.
    • image: Indicates the resource represents an image.
    • screen-shot: Indicates the resource represents an image of screen content.
    • law: Indicates the resource represents an applicable law.
    • regulation: Indicates the resource represents an applicable regulation.
    • standard: Indicates the resource represents an applicable standard.
    • external-guidance: Indicates the resource represents applicable guidance.
    • acronyms: Indicates the resource provides a list of relevant acronyms.
    • citation: Indicates the resource cites relevant information.
    • policy: Indicates the resource is a policy.
    • procedure: Indicates the resource is a procedure.
    • system-guide: Indicates the resource is guidance document related to the subject system of an SSP.
    • users-guide: Indicates the resource is guidance document a user's guide or administrator's guide.
    • administrators-guide: Indicates the resource is guidance document a administrator's guide.
    • rules-of-behavior: Indicates the resource represents rules of behavior content.
    • plan: Indicates the resource represents a plan.
    • artifact: Indicates the resource represents an artifact, such as may be reviewed by an assessor.
    • evidence: Indicates the resource represents evidence, such as to support an assessment finding.
    • tool-output: Indicates the resource represents output from a tool.
    • raw-data: Indicates the resource represents machine data, which may require a tool or analysis for interpretation or presentation.
    • interview-notes: Indicates the resource represents notes from an interview, such as may be collected during an assessment.
    • questionnaire: Indicates the resource is a set of questions, possibly with responses.
    • report: Indicates the resource is a report.
    • agreement: Indicates the resource is a formal agreement between two or more parties.
  • expect for .[citation] Test: title
<back-matter> element
Back matter
A collection of resources that may be referenced from within the OSCAL document instance.

Provides a collection of identified resource objects that can be referenced by a link with a rel value of "reference" and an href value that is a fragment "#" followed by a reference to a reference's uuid. Other specialized link "rel" values also use this pattern when indicated in that context of use.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<resource> assembly [0 to ∞] A resource associated with content in the containing document instance. A resource may be directly included in the document using base64 encoding or may point to one or more equivalent internet resources.

Constraints (1)

  • index for resource Index "index-back-matter-resource" on resource
<property> element
Property
An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.

Properties permit the deployment and management of arbitrary controlled values, within OSCAL objects. A property can be included for any purpose useful to an application or implementation. Typically, properties will be used to sort, filter, select, order, and arrange OSCAL content objects, to relate OSCAL objects to one another, or to associate an OSCAL object to class hierarchies, taxonomies, or external authorities. Thus, the lexical composition of properties may be constrained by external processes to ensure consistency.

Property allows for associated remarks that describe why the specific property value was applied to the containing object, or the significance of the value in the context of the containing object.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ name token Yes A textual label, within a namespace, that identifies a specific attribute, characteristic, or quality of the property's containing object.
@ uuid uuid No A unique identifier that can be used to reference this defined action elsewhere in an OSCAL document. A UUID should be consistently used for a given location across revisions of the document.
@ ns uri No A namespace qualifying the property's name. This allows different organizations to associate distinct semantics with the same name.
@ value string Yes Indicates the value of the attribute, characteristic, or quality.
@ class token No A textual label that provides a sub-type or characterization of the property's name.
@ group token No An identifier for relating distinct sets of properties.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.

Constraints (1)

  • allowed-values for .[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • marking: A label or descriptor that is tied to a sensitivity or classification marking system. An optional class can be used to define the specific marking system used for the associated value.
<responsible-party> element
Responsible Party
A reference to a set of persons and/or organizations that have responsibility for performing the referenced role in the context of the containing object.

A responsible-party requires one or more party-uuid references creating a strong relationship arc between the referenced role-id and the reference parties. This differs in semantics from responsible-role which doesn't require that a party-uuid is referenced.

The scope of use of this object determines if the responsibility has been performed or will be performed in the future. The containing object will describe the intent.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ role-id token Yes A human-oriented identifier reference to a role performed.

Child Elements (4)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<party-uuid> field [1 to ∞] Reference to a party by UUID.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<action> element
Action
An action applied by a role within a given party to the content.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ uuid uuid Yes A unique identifier that can be used to reference this defined action elsewhere in an OSCAL document. A UUID should be consistently used for a given location across revisions of the document.
@ date date-time-with-timezone No The date and time when the action occurred.
@ type token Yes Indicates the type of phone number.
@ system uri Yes Specifies the action type system used.

Child Elements (4)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<responsible-party> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a set of persons and/or organizations that have responsibility for performing the referenced role in the context of the containing object.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.

Constraints (2)

  • allowed-values for ./system/@value
    • http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal: This value identifies action types defined in the NIST OSCAL namespace.
  • allowed-values for ./type[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@value
    • approval: An approval of a document instance's content.
    • request-changes: A request from the responsible party or parties to change the content.
<responsible-role> element
Responsible Role
A reference to a role with responsibility for performing a function relative to the containing object, optionally associated with a set of persons and/or organizations that perform that role.

A responsible-role allows zero or more party-uuid references, each of which creates a relationship arc between the referenced role-id and the referenced party. This differs in semantics from responsible-party, which requires that at least one party-uuid is referenced.

The scope of use of this object determines if the responsibility has been performed or will be performed in the future. The containing object will describe the intent.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ role-id token Yes A human-oriented identifier reference to a role performed.

Child Elements (4)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<party-uuid> field [0 to ∞] Reference to a party by UUID.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<city> field
City
City, town or geographical region for the mailing address.
<state> field
State
State, province or analogous geographical region for a mailing address.
<postal-code> field
Postal Code
Postal or ZIP code for mailing address.
<country> field
Country Code
The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for the mailing address.
<address> element
Address
A postal address for the location.

Child Elements (5)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<addr-line> field [0 to ∞] A single line of an address.
<city> field [0 or 1] City, town or geographical region for the mailing address.
<state> field [0 or 1] State, province or analogous geographical region for a mailing address.
<postal-code> field [0 or 1] Postal or ZIP code for mailing address.
<country> field [0 or 1] The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for the mailing address.
<location-uuid> field
Location Universally Unique Identifier Reference
Reference to a location by UUID.
<party-uuid> field
Party Universally Unique Identifier Reference
Reference to a party by UUID.
<role-id> field
Role Identifier Reference
Reference to a role by UUID.
<hash> field
Hash
A representation of a cryptographic digest generated over a resource using a specified hash algorithm.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ algorithm string Yes The digest method by which a hash is derived.
<remarks> field
Remarks
Additional commentary about the containing object.

The remarks field SHOULD not be used to store arbitrary data. Instead, a prop or link should be used to annotate or reference any additional data not formally supported by OSCAL.

<published> field
Publication Timestamp
The date and time the document was last made available.

Typically, this date value will be machine-generated at the time the containing document is published.

In some cases, an OSCAL document may be derived from some source material provided in a different format. In such a case, the published value should indicate when the OSCAL document instance was last published, not the source material.

<last-modified> field
Last Modified Timestamp
The date and time the document was last stored for later retrieval.

This value represents the point in time when the OSCAL document was last updated, or at the point of creation the creation date. Typically, this date value will be machine generated at time of creation or modification. Ideally, this field will be managed by the editing tool or service used to make modifications when storing the modified document.

The intent of the last modified timestamp is to distinguish between significant change milestones when the document may be accessed by multiple entities. This allows a given entity to differentiate between multiple document states at specific points in time. It is possible to make multiple modifications to the document without storing these changes. In such a case, the last modified timestamp might not be updated until the document is finally stored.

In some cases, an OSCAL document may be derived from some source material in a different format. In such a case, the last-modified value should indicate the last modification time of the OSCAL document instance, not the source material.

<version> field
Document Version
Used to distinguish a specific revision of an OSCAL document from other previous and future versions.

A version may be a release number, sequence number, date, or other identifier sufficient to distinguish between different document revisions.

While not required, it is recommended that OSCAL content authors use Semantic Versioning as the version format. This allows for the easy identification of a version tree consisting of major, minor, and patch numbers.

A version is typically set by the document owner or by the tool used to maintain the content.

<oscal-version> field
OSCAL Version
The OSCAL model version the document was authored against and will conform to as valid.

Indicates the version of the OSCAL model to which the document conforms, for example 1.1.0 or 1.0.0-milestone1. That can be used as a hint for a tool indicating which version of the OSCAL XML or JSON schema to use for validation.

The OSCAL version serves a different purpose from the document version and is used to represent a different concept. If both have the same value, this is coincidental.

<email-address> field
Email Address
An email address as defined by RFC 5322 Section 3.4.1.
<telephone-number> field
Telephone Number
A telephone service number as defined by ITU-T E.164.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ type string No Indicates the type of phone number.
<addr-line> field
Address line
A single line of an address.
<document-id> field
Document Identifier
A document identifier qualified by an identifier scheme.

A document identifier provides a globally unique identifier with a cross-instance scope that is used for a group of documents that are to be treated as different versions, representations or digital surrogates of the same document.

A document identifier provides an additional data point for identifying a document that can be assigned by a publisher or organization for purposes in a wider system, such as a digital object identifier (DOI) or a local content management system identifier.

Use of a document identifier allows for document creators to associate sets of documents that are related in some way by the same document-id.

An OSCAL document always has an implicit document identifier provided by the document's UUID, defined by the uuid on the top-level object. Having a default UUID-based identifier ensures all documents can be minimally identified when other document identifiers are not provided.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ scheme uri No Qualifies the kind of document identifier using a URI. If the scheme is not provided the value of the element will be interpreted as a string of characters.
<prose> field
Part Text
Prose permits multiple paragraphs, lists, tables etc.
<part> element
Part
An annotated, markup-based textual element of a control's or catalog group's definition, or a child of another part.

A part provides for logical partitioning of prose, and can be thought of as a grouping structure (e.g., section). A part can have child parts allowing for arbitrary nesting of prose content (e.g., statement hierarchy). A part can contain prop objects that allow for enriching prose text with structured name/value information.

A part can be assigned an optional id, which allows references to this part from within a catalog, or within an instance of another OSCAL model that has a need to reference the part. Examples of where part referencing is used in OSCAL include:

  • Referencing a part by id to tailor (make modifications to) a control statement in a profile.
  • Referencing a control statement represented by a part in a system security plan implemented-requirement where a statement-level response is desired.

Use of part and prop provides for a wide degree of extensibility within the OSCAL catalog model. The optional ns provides a means to qualify a part's name, allowing for organization-specific vocabularies to be defined with clear semantics. Any organization that extends OSCAL in this way should consistently assign a ns value that represents the organization, making a given namespace qualified name unique to that organization. This allows the combination of ns and name to always be unique and unambiguous, even when mixed with extensions from other organizations. Each organization is responsible for governance of their own extensions, and is strongly encouraged to publish their extensions as standards to their user community. If no ns is provided, the name is expected to be in the "OSCAL" namespace.

To ensure a ns is unique to an organization and naming conflicts are avoided, a URI containing a DNS or other globally defined organization name should be used. For example, if FedRAMP and DoD both extend OSCAL, FedRAMP will use the ns http://fedramp.gov/ns/oscal, while DoD might use the ns https://defense.gov for any organization specific name.

Tools that process OSCAL content are not required to interpret unrecognized OSCAL extensions; however, OSCAL compliant tools should not modify or remove unrecognized extensions, unless there is a compelling reason to do so, such as data sensitivity.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ id token No A unique identifier for the parameter.
@ name token Yes A textual label that uniquely identifies the part's semantic type, which exists in a value space qualified by the ns.
@ ns uri No An optional namespace qualifying the part's name. This allows different organizations to associate distinct semantics with the same name.
@ class token No A textual label that provides a characterization of the type, purpose, use or scope of the parameter.

Child Elements (5)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<part> assembly [0 to ∞] An annotated, markup-based textual element of a control's or catalog group's definition, or a child of another part.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<title> field [0 or 1] A human readable name for the component.
<prose> field [0 or 1] Prose permits multiple paragraphs, lists, tables etc.

Constraints (1)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • label: A human-readable label for the parent context, which may be rendered in place of the actual identifier for some use cases.
    • sort-id: An alternative identifier, whose value is easily sortable among other such values in the document.
    • alt-identifier: An alternate or aliased identifier for the parent context.
<label> field
Parameter Label
A short, placeholder name for the parameter, which can be used as a substitute for a value if no value is assigned.

The label value is intended use when rendering a parameter in generated documentation or a user interface when a parameter is referenced. Note that labels are not required to be distinctive, which means that parameters within the same control may have the same label.

<usage> field
Parameter Usage Description
Describes the purpose and use of a parameter.
<parameter> element
Parameter
Parameters provide a mechanism for the dynamic assignment of value(s) in a control.

In a catalog, a parameter is typically used as a placeholder for the future assignment of a parameter value, although the OSCAL model allows for the direct assignment of a value if desired by the control author. The value may be optionally used to specify one or more values. If no value is provided, then it is expected that the value will be provided at the Profile or Implementation layer.

A parameter can include a variety of metadata options that support the future solicitation of one or more values. A label provides a textual placeholder that can be used in a tool to solicit parameter value input, or to display in catalog documentation. The desc provides a short description of what the parameter is used for, which can be used in tooling to help a user understand how to use the parameter. A constraint can be used to provide criteria for the allowed values. A guideline provides a recommendation for the use of a parameter.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ id token Yes A unique identifier for the parameter.
@ class token No A textual label that provides a characterization of the type, purpose, use or scope of the parameter.
@ depends-on token No (deprecated) Another parameter invoking this one. This construct has been deprecated and should not be used.

Child Elements (9)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<property> assembly [0 to ∞] An attribute, characteristic, or quality of the containing object expressed as a namespace qualified name/value pair.
<link> assembly [0 to ∞] A reference to a local or remote resource, that has a specific relation to the containing object.
<parameter-constraint> assembly [0 to ∞] A formal or informal expression of a constraint or test.
<parameter-guideline> assembly [0 to ∞] A prose statement that provides a recommendation for the use of a parameter.
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<label> field [0 or 1] A short, placeholder name for the parameter, which can be used as a substitute for a value if no value is assigned.
<usage> field [0 or 1] Describes the purpose and use of a parameter.
<parameter-selection> assembly [0 or 1] Presenting a choice among alternatives.
<parameter-value> field [0 to ∞] A parameter value or set of values.

Constraints (3)

  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/oscal')]/@name
    • label: A human-readable label for the parent context, which may be rendered in place of the actual identifier for some use cases.
    • sort-id: An alternative identifier, whose value is easily sortable among other such values in the document.
    • alt-identifier: An alternate or aliased identifier for the parent context.
    • alt-label: An alternate to the value provided by the parameter's label. This will typically be qualified by a class.
  • allowed-values for prop[has-oscal-namespace('http://csrc.nist.gov/ns/rmf')]/@name
    • aggregates: The parent parameter provides an aggregation of two or more other parameters, each described by this property.
  • expect for . Test: not(exists(@depends-on))
<expression> field
Constraint test
A formal (executable) expression of a constraint.
<test> element
Constraint Test
A test expression which is expected to be evaluated by a tool.

Child Elements (2)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<remarks> field [0 or 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<expression> field [1] A formal (executable) expression of a constraint.
<parameter-constraint> element
Constraint
A formal or informal expression of a constraint or test.

Child Elements (2)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<test> assembly [0 to ∞] A test expression which is expected to be evaluated by a tool.
<description> field [0 or 1] A summary of how the containing control statement is implemented by the component or capability.
<parameter-guideline> element
Guideline
A prose statement that provides a recommendation for the use of a parameter.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<prose> field [1] Prose permits multiple paragraphs, lists, tables etc.
<choice> field
Choice
A value selection among several such options.
<parameter-selection> element
Selection
Presenting a choice among alternatives.

A set of parameter value choices, that may be picked from to set the parameter value.

Attributes

Name Type Required Description
@ how-many token No Describes the number of selections that must occur. Without this setting, only one value should be assumed to be permitted.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<choice> field [0 to ∞] A value selection among several such options.
<include-all> element
Include All
Include all controls from the imported catalog or profile resources.

This element provides an alternative to calling controls individually from a catalog.

<matching> element
Match Controls by Pattern
Selecting a set of controls by matching their IDs with a wildcard pattern.

Child Elements (1)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<remarks> field [0 to 1] Additional commentary about the containing object.
<select-control-by-id> element
Select Control
Select a control or controls from an imported control set.

If with-child-controls is yes on the call to a control, no sibling callelements need to be used to call any controls appearing within it. Since generally, this is how control enhancements are represented (as controls within controls), this provides a way to include controls with all their dependent controls (enhancements) without having to call them individually.

Child Elements (2)

Element Type Cardinality Description
<matching> assembly [0 to ∞] Selecting a set of controls by matching their IDs with a wildcard pattern.
<with-id> field [0 to ∞] Selecting a control by its ID given as a literal.
<parameter-value> field
Parameter Value
A parameter value or set of values.
<with-id> field
Match Controls by Identifier
Selecting a control by its ID given as a literal.