Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Volume 2: Appendices
APPENDIX D: IMPACT DETERMINATION FOR MISSION-BASED > D.23 Federal Financial Assistance > D.23.2

D.23.2 Direct Transfers to Individuals Information Type Direct Transfers to Individuals involves the disbursement of funds from the Federal Government directly to beneficiaries (individuals or organizations) who satisfy Federal eligibility requirements with no restrictions imposed on the recipient as to how the money is spent. Direct Transfers include both earned and unearned Federal Entitlement programs such as Medicare, Social Security, unemployment benefits, etc. The recommended provisional security categorization for the direct transfers to individuals information type is as follows: Security Category = {(confidentiality, Low), (integrity, Low), (availability, Low)} The confidentiality impact level is the effect of unauthorized disclosure of direct transfers to individuals information on the ability of responsible agencies to disburse funds from the Federal Government directly to beneficiaries (individuals or organizations) who satisfy Federal eligibility requirements with no restrictions imposed on the recipient as to how the money is spent. In the majority of cases, unauthorized disclosure of direct transfers to individuals will have only a limited adverse effect on agency operations, assets, or individuals. Special Factors Affecting Confidentiality Impact Determination: Many of the records associated with the disbursements may include information subject to privacy restrictions (e.g., the Privacy Act of 1974, HIPAA of 1996). (The Privacy Act Information provisional impact levels are documented in the Personal Identity and Authentication information type.) In such cases, punitive consequences and/or loss of public confidence can have a seriously disruptive effect on an agency's operations and mission. The consequent confidentiality impact level could be moderate. Recommended Confidentiality Impact Level: Therefore, the provisional confidentiality impact level recommended for direct transfers to individuals is low. not on the time required to detect the modification or destruction of information. Federal disbursement activities are not generally time-critical. In most cases, the monetary amounts involved are not large (on a governmental budgetary scale). Also, the adverse effects of unauthorized modification or destruction of direct transfers to individuals on agency mission functions or public confidence in the agency will be limited. Special Factors Affecting Integrity Impact Determination: There are significant differences between the ability to modify a document authorizing a payment and the modification of the payment itself. The unauthorized modification of a document authorizing a payment is less time critical than the modification of the payment itself while the payment is in transit. Modifications to payments in transit will result in immediate inaccurate payments. This can result in assignment of a moderate impact level to such information. Recommended Integrity Impact Level: The provisional integrity impact level recommended for direct transfers to individuals is low. mission, not on the time required to re-establish access to direct transfers to individuals information. Federal disbursement processes are generally tolerant of delay. In most cases, disruption of access to information regarding direct transfers to individuals can be expected to have only a limited adverse effect on agency operations, agency assets, or individuals. Special Factors Affecting Availability Impact Determination: Disruption of disbursements to large populations can do serious harm to public confidence in the agency and have a harmful impact on the nation's economy (e.g., affect consumer confidents and retail sales for a month or quarter). In such cases, the availability impact would be moderate. Recommended Availability Impact Level: The provisional availability impact level recommended for direct transfers to individuals is low.