Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Volume 2: Appendices
Section 4.2.3 and 4.4.2. > C.2 Rationale and Factors for Services Delivery Support Information > C.2.1 Controls and Oversight > C.2.1.3 Program Monitoring Information Type

C.2.1.3 Program Monitoring Information Type

Program Monitoring involves the data-gathering activities required to determine the
effectiveness of internal and external programs and the extent to which they comply with related
laws, regulations, and policies. The impact levels should be commensurate with the impact levels
of the programs that are being monitored. For example, if a program contains very sensitive
financial data with moderate impact levels for confidentiality and integrity, the program
monitoring impact levels for confidentiality and integrity should also be moderate. Subject to
exception conditions described below, the recommended security categorization for the program
monitoring information type is as follows:
Security Category = {(confidentiality, Low), (integrity, Low), (availability, Low)}
The confidentiality impact level is the effect of unauthorized disclosure of program monitoring
information on the ability of responsible agencies to perform data-gathering activities required to
determine the effectiveness of internal and external programs and the extent to which they
comply with related laws, regulations, and policies.
Special Factors Affecting Confidentiality Impact Determination: There are legislative mandates
prohibiting unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets. Trade secrets will generally be assigned a
moderate confidentiality impact level. Note that national security information and national
security systems are outside the scope of this guideline. Otherwise, where the data being
collected belongs to one of the information types described in this guideline, the confidentiality
impact assigned the data and system is that of the highest impact information type collected.
Unauthorized disclosure of program monitoring information can alert personnel associated with
programs being monitored to the focus and implications of monitoring activities. Where a major
programs or human safety is at stake, actions taken based on unauthorized disclosure of program
monitoring information can pose a threat to human life or a loss of major assets. In such cases,
the confidentiality impact is high. If the program monitoring information is moved to the public
domain, the confidentiality impact level becomes Not Applicable (NA).
Recommended Confidentiality Impact Level: Although there are many circumstances in which
serious adverse effects on agency operations, agency assets, or individuals can result to justify a
moderate base confidentiality impact level for program monitoring information, in most Federal
environments, unauthorized disclosure will have only a limited adverse effect on agency
operations, assets, or individuals. Consequently, for most systems, a low provisional
confidentiality impact level is recommended for program monitoring information.
The consequences of unauthorized modification or destruction of program monitoring
information can compromise the effectiveness of the monitoring program. Although there may
be time-sensitive program monitoring situations, the integrity impact level is based on the
specific mission and the data supporting that mission, not on the time required to detect the
modification or destruction of information. The damage likely to be caused by unauthorized
modification or destruction of program monitoring information may have consequent serious
adverse effects on agency operations or public confidence in the agency.
Special Factors Affecting Integrity Impact Determination: The consequences can be particularly
serious if the destruction or modification of monitoring information invalidates evaluation results
concerning major programs or concerning threats to human safety. The integrity impact
resulting from unauthorized modification or deletion of program monitoring information depends
in part on the nature of the laws or policies with which compliance is being determined and in
part on the criticality of the processes being monitored. For example, in the case of safety
regulations affecting manned space flight, the integrity impact level may be high.
Recommended Integrity Impact Level: There are some regulatory environments in which a high or
moderate impact level is appropriate. For most compliance monitoring information, the
recommended provisional integrity impact level is low.
mission, not on the time required to re-establish access to the program monitoring information.
Although there may be time-sensitive program monitoring situations, more typically, disruption
of access to program monitoring information will have only a limited adverse effect on agency
operations, agency assets, or individuals.
Special Factors Affecting Availability Impact Determination: There are a limited number of compliance
monitoring operations for which temporary loss of availability is likely to significantly degrade
mission capability, place the agency at a significant disadvantage, result in loss of major assets,
or pose a threat to human life. This can result in assignment of a moderate impact level to such
information.
Recommended Availability Impact Level: The provisional availability impact level recommended for
program monitoring information is low.