Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Volume 2: Appendices
Section 4.2.3 and 4.4.2. > Information > C.3.1 Administrative Management > C.3.1.2 Help Desk Services Information Type

C.3.1.2 Help Desk Services Information Type

Help Desk Services involves the management of a service center to respond to government
employees' technical and administrative questions. Subject to exception conditions described
below, the recommended provisional security categorization for the help desk service
information type is as follows:
Security Category = {(confidentiality, Low), (integrity, Low), (availability, Low)}
The confidentiality impact level is the effect of unauthorized disclosure of help desk service
information on the ability of responsible agencies to manage of service center responses to
government employees' technical and administrative questions. The consequences of
unauthorized disclosure of most help desk service information are likely to have only a limited
adverse effect on agency operations, agency assets, or individuals.
Special Factors Affecting Confidentiality Impact Determination: Information associated with service
center responses can provide useful information to adversaries seeking to penetrate Federal
systems. If the contents or functions of a system have sufficient sensitivity and/or criticality, a
moderate or high impact level may be considered for help desk information.
Recommended Confidentiality Impact Level: The provisional confidentiality impact level
recommended for help desk service information is low.
not on the time required to detect the modification or destruction of information. In addition, the
consequences of unauthorized modification to or destruction of help desk service information
usually depends on the urgency with which the information is needed or the immediacy with
which the information is used. In most cases, it is unlikely that the information will be time-
critical or acted upon immediately.
Special Factors Affecting Integrity Impact Determination: In relatively few cases would the
consequences of unauthorized modification of help desk information that is acted upon
immediately result in more than limited damage to agency operations or assets. Exceptions may
include bogus information regarding operation of communications processors, data base systems,
or other systems necessary to emergency response aspects of disaster management, criminal
apprehension, air traffic control or other time-critical missions. In such cases, a moderate or
high integrity impact level might be considered for unauthorized modification or destruction of
help desk service information.
Recommended Integrity Impact Level: The provisional integrity impact level recommended for help
desk service information is low.
mission, not on the time required to re-establish access to help desk service information.
Typically, disruption of access to help desk service information will have a limited adverse effect
on agency operations (including mission functions and public confidence in the agency), agency
assets, or individuals.
Special Factors Affecting Availability Impact Determination: Exceptions may include emergency
response components of disaster management or other time-critical functions (e.g., some systems
that support air traffic control functions). Consequently, the availability impact level associated
with unauthorized modification or destruction of help desk service information needed to
respond to emergencies can be high.
Recommended Availability Impact Level: The provisional availability impact level recommended for
help desk service information is low.