Audit & Accountability Policy (AU Family) Template
Defines audit logging, monitoring, and accountability requirements aligned with NIST SP 800-53 AU control family.
What This Policy Covers
Required Sections
A compliant Audit & Accountability Policy (AU Family) for NIST SP 800-53 must include the following8 sections. Each section addresses a specific control requirement that auditors will review.
Purpose and Scope
Policy objectives and applicability (AU-1).
Auditable Events
Events that must be logged across all systems (AU-2).
Audit Record Content
Required fields: who, what, when, where, outcome (AU-3).
Audit Storage and Retention
Storage capacity, retention periods, and protection (AU-4, AU-9).
Audit Review and Analysis
Log review procedures and automated analysis (AU-6, AU-7).
Audit Reporting
Reporting cadence and escalation of findings (AU-6).
Time Synchronization
NTP requirements and timestamp accuracy (AU-8).
Non-Repudiation
Ensuring actions cannot be denied (AU-10).
Generate a Customized Version
This template shows the required structure. PoliWriter generates a fully customized Audit & Accountability Policy (AU Family) that references your actual cloud providers, identity systems, tools, and team practices — ready for auditor review.
Policy Details
Other NIST SP 800-53 Templates
Establishes access control requirements covering account management, access enforcement, separation of duties, and least privilege, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 AC control family.
Establishes requirements for security assessments, system authorization, and continuous monitoring, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 CA control family.
Defines configuration management requirements including baseline configurations, change control, and configuration monitoring, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 CM control family.
Establishes contingency planning requirements including backup, recovery, and continuity of operations, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 CP control family.
Defines requirements for identifying and authenticating users, devices, and services, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 IA control family.
Establishes an incident response capability including preparation, detection, analysis, containment, recovery, and post-incident activities, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 IR control family.
Defines requirements for protecting system communications and data, including boundary protection, cryptography, and denial-of-service protection, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 SC control family.
Establishes requirements for assessing security risks including vulnerability scanning, threat analysis, and privacy impact assessments, aligned with NIST SP 800-53 RA control family.