Attachment_II_-_Baseline_Security_Requirements.docx

1. BASELINE SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

1) Applicability. The requirements herein apply whether the entire contract or order (hereafter “contract”), or portion thereof, includes either or both of the following:

a. Access (Physical or Logical) to Government Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee will have or will be given the ability to have, routine physical (entry) or logical (electronic) access to government information.

b. Operate a Federal System Containing Information: A Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) will operate a federal system and information technology containing data that supports the HHS mission. In addition to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 2.1 definition of “information technology” (IT), the term as used in this section includes computers, ancillary equipment (including imaging peripherals, input, output, and storage devices necessary for security and surveillance), peripheral equipment designed to be controlled by the central processing unit of a computer, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources.

2) Safeguarding Information and Information Systems. In accordance with the Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS)199, Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

a. Protect government information and information systems in order to ensure:

· Confidentiality, which means preserving authorized restrictions on access and disclosure, based on the security terms found in this contract, including means for protecting personal privacy and proprietary information;

· Integrity, which means guarding against improper information modification or destruction, and ensuring information non-repudiation and authenticity; and

· Availability, which means ensuring timely and reliable access to and use of information.

b. Provide security for any Contractor systems, and information contained therein, connected to an HHS network or operated by the Contractor on behalf of HHS regardless of location per FAR clause 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards. In addition, if new or unanticipated threats or hazards are discovered by either the agency or contractor, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer shall immediately, within one (1) hour or less, bring the situation to the attention of the other party.

c. Not subcontract to companies in which foreign governments that support international terrorism have a “significant interest” per 10 U.S.C. § 2327 to conduct HHS business.

d. Adopt and implement the policies, procedures, controls, and standards required by the HHS Information Security Program to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government information and government information systems for which the Contractor is responsible under this contract or to which the Contractor may otherwise have access under this contract. Obtain the HHS Information Security Program security requirements, outlined in the HHS Information Security and Privacy Policy (IS2P), by contacting the CO/COR or emailing fisma@hhs.gov.

e. Comply with HHS Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) Clause 352.224-71 requirements, as tailored.

3) Information Security Categorization. In accordance with FIPS 199 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-60, Volume II: Appendices to Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security Categories, Appendix C, and based on information provided by the ISSO, CISO, or other security representative, the risk level for each Security Objective and the Overall Risk Level, which is the highest watermark of the three factors (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) of the information or information system are the following:

Based on information provided by the ISSO, Privacy Office, system/data owner, or other security or privacy representative, it has been determined that this solicitation/contract involves:

[X] No PII [ ] Yes PII

Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Per the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, “PII is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, either alone or when combined with other information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual.” Examples of PII include, but are not limited to the following: social security number, date and place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, biometric records, etc.

PII Confidentiality Impact Level has been determined to be: [X] Low [ ] Moderate [ ] High

4) Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). CUI is defined as “information that laws, regulations, or Government-wide policies require to have safeguarding or dissemination controls, excluding classified information.” The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) must comply with Executive Order 13556, Controlled Unclassified Information, (implemented at 3 CFR, part 2002) when handling CUI. 32 C.F.R. 2002.4(aa) As implemented the term “handling” refers to “…any use of CUI, including but not limited to marking, safeguarding, transporting, disseminating, re-using, and disposing of the information.” 81 Fed. Reg. 63323. All sensitive information that has been identified as CUI by a regulation or statute, handled by this solicitation/contract, shall be:

a. marked appropriately;

b. disclosed to authorized personnel on a Need-To-Know basis;

c. protected in accordance with NIST SP 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations applicable baseline if handled by a Contractor system operated on behalf of the agency, or NIST SP 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations if handled by internal Contractor system; and

d. returned to HHS control, destroyed when no longer needed, or held until otherwise directed. Destruction of information and/or data shall be accomplished in accordance with NIST SP 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization.

5) Protection of Sensitive Information. For security purposes, information is or may be sensitive because it requires security to protect its confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall protect all government information that is or may be sensitive in accordance with OMB Memorandum M-06-16, Protection of Sensitive Agency Information by securing it with a FIPS 140-2 validated solution.

6) Confidentiality and Nondisclosure of Information. Any information provided to the contractor (and/or any subcontractor) by HHS or collected by the contractor on behalf of HHS shall be used only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this contract and shall not be disclosed or made known in any manner to any persons except as may be necessary in the performance of the contract. The Contractor assumes responsibility for protection of the confidentiality of Government records and shall ensure that all work performed by its employees and subcontractors shall be under the supervision of the Contractor. Each Contractor officer or employee or any of its subcontractors to whom any HHS records may be made available or disclosed shall be notified in writing by the Contractor that information disclosed to such officer or employee can be used only for that purpose and to the extent authorized herein.

The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of such information shall be protected in accordance with HHS and NIH/NIEHS policies. Unauthorized disclosure of information will be subject to the HHS/NIH/NIEHS sanction policies and/or governed by the following laws and regulations:

a. 18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records);

b. 18 U.S.C. 1905 (Criminal Code: Disclosure of Confidential Information); and

c. 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, Subchapter I (Paperwork Reduction Act).

7) Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6). All acquisitions using Internet Protocol shall comply with FAR sections: FAR 7.105(b)(5), FAR 11.002(g), and FAR 12.202(e).

8) Government Websites. All new and existing public-facing government websites must be securely configured with Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) using the most recent version of Transport Layer Security (TLS). In addition, HTTPS shall enable HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) to instruct compliant browsers to assume HTTPS at all times to reduce the number of insecure redirects and protect against attacks that attempt to downgrade connections to plain HTTP. For internal-facing websites, the HTTPS is not required, but it is highly recommended.

9) Contract Documentation. The Contractor shall use provided templates, policies, forms and other agency documents to comply with contract deliverables as appropriate.

10) Standard for Encryption. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

a. Comply with the HHS Standard for Encryption of Computing Devices and Information to prevent unauthorized access to government information.

b. Encrypt all sensitive federal data and information (i.e., PII, protected health information [PHI], proprietary information, etc.) in transit (i.e., email, network connections, etc.) and at rest (i.e., servers, storage devices, mobile devices, backup media, etc.) with FIPS 140-2 validated encryption solution.

c. Secure all devices (i.e.: desktops, laptops, mobile devices, etc.) that store and process government information and ensure devices meet HHS and NIH-specific encryption standard requirements. Maintain a complete and current inventory of all laptop computers, desktop computers, and other mobile devices and portable media that store or process sensitive government information (including PII).

d. Verify that the encryption solutions in use have been validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation Program to confirm compliance with FIPS 140-2. The Contractor shall provide a written copy of the validation documentation to the COR within 30 days of contract award.

e. Use the Key Management system on the HHS personal identification verification (PIV) card or establish and use a key recovery mechanism to ensure the ability for authorized personnel to encrypt/decrypt information and recover encryption keyshttp://csrc.nist.gov/publications/. Encryption keys shall be provided to the COR upon request and at the conclusion of the contract.

11) Contractor Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Each Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) employee having access to non-public government information under this contract shall complete the NIH non-disclosure agreement. A copy of each signed and witnessed NDA shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer (CO) and/or CO Representative (COR) prior to performing any work under this acquisition.

12) Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA)/Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) – The Contractor shall assist the NIEHS Senior Official for Privacy (SOP) or designee with conducting a PTA for the information system and/or information handled under this contract to determine whether or not a full PIA needs to be completed.

a. If the results of the PTA show that a full PIA is needed, the Contractor shall assist the NIEHS SOP or designee with completing a PIA for the system or information within 30-days after completion of the PTA and in accordance with HHS policy and OMB M-03-22, Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002.

b. The Contractor shall assist the NIEHS SOP or designee in reviewing the PIA at least every three years throughout the system development lifecycle (SDLC)/information lifecycle, or when determined by the agency that a review is required based on a major change to the system, or when new types of PII are collected that introduces new or increased privacy risks, whichever comes first.

INCIDENT RESPONSE

FISMA defines an incident as “an occurrence that (1) actually or imminently jeopardizes, without lawful authority, the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of information or an information system; or (2) constitutes a violation or imminent threat of violation of law, security policies, security procedures, or acceptable use policies.. The HHS Policy for IT Security and Privacy Incident Reporting and Response further defines incidents as events involving cybersecurity and privacy threats, such as viruses, malicious user activity, loss of, unauthorized disclosure or destruction of data, and so on.

A privacy breach is a type of incident and is defined by Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) as the loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, or any similar occurrence where (1) a person other than an authorized user accesses or potentially accesses personally identifiable information or (2) an authorized user accesses or potentially accesses personally identifiable information for an other than authorized purpose. The HHS Policy for IT Security and Privacy Incident Reporting and Response further defines a breach as “a suspected or confirmed incident involving PII” .

1) In the event of a suspected or confirmed incident or breach, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall protect all sensitive information, including any PII created, stored, or transmitted in the performance of this contract so as to avoid a secondary sensitive information incident with FIPS 140-2 validated encryption.

2) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall report all suspected and confirmed information security and privacy incidents and breaches to the NIH Incident Response Team (IRT), NIEHS ISSO, COR, CO, and other stakeholders, including incidents involving PII, in any medium or form, including paper, oral, or electronic, as soon as possible and without unreasonable delay, no later than one (1) hour, and consistent with the applicable NIH/NIEHS and HHS policy and procedures, NIST standards and guidelines, as well as US-CERT notification guidelines. The types of information required in an incident report must include at a minimum: company and point of contact information, contract information, impact classifications/threat vector, and the type of information compromised.

3) In reporting a breach, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall:

a. comply with OMB M-17-12,Preparing for and Responding to a Breach of Personally Identifiable Information.

b. comply with FAR 52.239-1(c) Privacy or Security Safeguards) and HHS and NIEHS incident response policies;

c. cooperate and exchange any information, as determined by the Agency, necessary to effectively manage or mitigate a suspected or confirmed breach;

d. not include any sensitive information in the subject or body of any reporting e-mail; and

e. encrypt sensitive information in attachments to email, media, etc.

4) The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall provide full access and cooperation for all activities determined by the Government to be required to ensure an effective incident response, including providing all requested images, log files, and event information to facilitate rapid resolution of sensitive information incidents. Restricting access may include disconnecting the system processing, storing, or transmitting the sensitive information from the Internet or other networks or applying additional security controls.

CONTRACT INITIATION AND EXPIRATION

1) General Security Requirements. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall comply with information security and privacy requirements, Enterprise Performance Life Cycle (EPLC) processes, HHS Enterprise Architecture requirements to ensure information is appropriately protected from initiation to expiration of the contract. All information systems development or enhancement tasks supported by the contractor shall follow the HHS EPLC framework and methodology in accordance with the HHS Contract Closeout Guide (2012).

HHS EA requirements may be located here: https://www.hhs.gov/ocio/ea/documents/proplans.html

2) System Documentation. Contractors (and/or any subcontractors) must follow and adhere to NIST SP 800-64, Security Considerations in the System Development Life Cycle, at a minimum, for system development and provide system documentation at designated intervals (specifically, at the expiration of the contract) within the EPLC that require artifact review and approval.

3) Sanitization of Government Files and Information. As part of contract closeout and at expiration of the contract, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall provide all required documentation to the CO and/or COR to certify that, at the government’s direction, all electronic and paper records are appropriately disposed of and all devices and media are sanitized in accordance with NIST SP 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization.

4) Contractor Responsibilities Upon Physical Completion of the Contract. The contractor (and/or any subcontractors) shall return all government information and IT resources (i.e., government information in non-government-owned systems, media, and backup systems) acquired during the term of this contract to the CO and/or COR. Additionally, the Contractor shall provide a certification that all government information has been properly sanitized and purged from Contractor-owned systems, including backup systems and media used during contract performance, in accordance with HHS and/or NIH policies.

RECORDS MANAGEMENT AND RETENTION

The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall maintain all information in accordance with Executive Order 13556 -- Controlled Unclassified Information, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records retention policies and schedules and HHS/NIH/NIEHS policies and shall not dispose of any records unless authorized by HHS/NIH/NIEHS.

In the event that a contractor (and/or any subcontractor) accidentally disposes of or destroys a record without proper authorization, it shall be documented and reported as an incident in accordance with HHS/NIH/NIEHS policies.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR GOCO AND COCO RESOURCES

1) Contract Clauses. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall comply with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 52 – Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses, including clauses 52.239-1 and 52.204-21 Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems.

Contract clauses do not go into the SOW; they must be included in the designated contract Section.

2) Federal Policies. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall comply with applicable federal laws that include, but are not limited to, the HHS Information Security and Privacy Policy (IS2P); Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) of 2014, (44 U.S.C. 101); National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations; Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource; and other applicable federal laws, regulations, NIST guidance, and Departmental policies.

3) Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A). A valid authority to operate (ATO) certifies that the Contractor’s information system meets the contract’s requirements to protect the agency data. If the system under this contract does not have a valid ATO, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall work with the agency and supply the deliverables required to complete the ATO 30-days prior to website launch. The Contractor shall conduct the SA&A requirements in accordance with HHS IS2P, NIST SP 800-37, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems: A Security Life Cycle Approach (latest revision).

For an existing ATO, OpDiv must make a determination if the existing ATO provides appropriate safeguards or if an additional ATO is required for the performance of the contract and state as such.

NIEHS acceptance of the ATO does not alleviate the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure the system security and privacy controls are implemented and operating effectively.

a. SA&A Package Deliverables - The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall provide an SA&A package within 15 days of website launch to the CO and/or COR.

· System Security Plan (SSP) – due 15-days prior to website launch.

The SSP shall comply with the NIST SP 800-18, Guide for Developing Security Plans for Federal Information Systems, the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 200, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems, and NIST SP 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations applicable baseline requirements, and other applicable NIST guidance as well as HHS and NIH policies and other guidance. The SSP shall be consistent with and detail the approach to IT security contained in the Contractor’s bid or proposal that resulted in the award of this contract. The SSP shall provide an overview of the system environment and security requirements to protect the information system as well as describe all applicable security controls in place or planned for meeting those requirements. It should provide a structured process for planning adequate, cost-effective security protection for a system. The Contractor shall update the SSP at least annually thereafter.

· Security Assessment Plan/Report (SAP/SAR) – due 30 days following contract award. The security assessment shall be conducted by a third-party assessor and be consistent with NIST SP 800-53A, NIST SP 800-30, and HHS and NIH policies. The assessor will document the assessment results in the SAR.

Thereafter, the Contractor, in coordination with NIEHS shall assist in the assessment of the security controls and update the SAR at least annually.

· Independent Assessment - due 30 days following contract award. The Contractor (and/or subcontractor) shall have an independent third-party validate the security and privacy controls in place for the system(s). The independent third party shall review and analyze the Security Authorization package, and report on technical, operational, and management level deficiencies as outlined in NIST SP 800-53. The Contractor shall address all “high” deficiencies before submitting the package to the Government for acceptance. All remaining deficiencies must be documented in a system Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M).

· POA&M – due 30-days following the independent assessment. The POA&M shall be documented consistent with the HHS Standard for Plan of Action and Milestones and NIH policies. All high-risk weaknesses must be mitigated within 120 days and all medium weaknesses must be mitigated within 180 days from the date the weaknesses are formally identified and documented. NIEHS will determine the risk rating of vulnerabilities.

Identified risks stemming from deficiencies related to the security control baseline implementation, assessment, continuous monitoring, vulnerability scanning, and other security reviews and sources, as documented in the SAR, shall be documented and tracked by the Contractor for mitigation in the POA&M document. Depending on the severity of the risks, NIEHS may require designated POAM weaknesses to be remediated before an ATO is issued. Thereafter, the POA&M shall be updated at least quarterly.

· Contingency Plan and Contingency Plan Test – due 15 days prior to website launch. The Contingency Plan must be developed in accordance with NIST SP 800-34, Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems, and be consistent with HHS and NIH policies. Upon acceptance by the System Owner, the Contractor, in coordination with the System Owner, shall test the Contingency Plan and prepare a Contingency Plan Test Report that includes the test results, lessons learned and any action items that need to be addressed. Thereafter, the Contractor shall update and test the Contingency Plan at least annually.

· E-Authentication Questionnaire – The contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall collaborate with government personnel to ensure that an E-Authentication Threshold Analysis (E-auth TA) is completed to determine if a full E-Authentication Risk Assessment (E-auth RA) is necessary. System documentation developed for a system using E-auth TA/E-auth RA methods shall follow OMB 04-04 and NIST SP 800-63, Rev. 2, Electronic Authentication Guidelines.

Based on the level of assurance determined by the E-Auth, the Contractor (and/or subcontractor) must ensure appropriate authentication to the system, including remote authentication, is in-place in accordance with the assurance level determined by the E-Auth (when required) in accordance with HHS policies.

b. Information Security Continuous Monitoring. Upon the government issuance of an Authority to Operate (ATO), the Contractor (and/or subcontractor)-owned/operated systems that input, store, process, output, and/or transmit government information, shall meet or exceed the information security continuous monitoring (ISCM) requirements in accordance with FISMA and NIST SP 800-137, Information Security Continuous Monitoring (ISCM) for Federal Information Systems and Organizations, and HHS IS2P. The following are the minimum requirements for ISCM:

· Annual Assessment/Review - Assess the system security and privacy controls (or ensure an assessment of the controls is conducted) at least annually to determine the implemented security and privacy controls are operating as intended and producing the desired results. In addition, review all relevant SA&A documentation (SSP, POA&M, Contingency Plan, etc.) and provide updates within 15 days of contract award and annually thereafter.

· Asset Management - Using any available Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP)-compliant automated tools for active/passive scans, provide an inventory of all information technology (IT) assets for hardware and software, (computers, servers, routers, databases, operating systems, etc.) that are processing HHS-owned information/data. It is anticipated that this inventory information will be required to be produced at least annually. IT asset inventory information shall include IP address, machine name, operating system level, security patch level, and SCAP-compliant format information. The contractor shall maintain a capability to provide an inventory of 100% of its IT assets using SCAP-compliant automated tools.

· Configuration Management - Use available SCAP-compliant automated tools, per NIST IR 7511, for authenticated scans to provide visibility into the security configuration compliance status of all IT assets, (computers, servers, routers, databases, operating systems, application, etc.) that store and process government information. Compliance will be measured using IT assets and standard HHS and government configuration baselines at least annually. The contractor shall maintain a capability to provide security configuration compliance information for 100% of its IT assets using SCAP-compliant automated tools.

· Vulnerability Management - Use SCAP-compliant automated tools for authenticated scans to scan information system(s) and detect any security vulnerabilities in all assets (computers, servers, routers, Web applications, databases, operating systems, etc.) that store and process government information. Contractors shall actively manage system vulnerabilities using automated tools and technologies where practicable and in accordance with HHS policy. Automated tools shall be compliant with NIST-specified SCAP standards for vulnerability identification and management. The contractor shall maintain a capability to provide security vulnerability scanning information for 100% of IT assets using SCAP-compliant automated tools and report to the agency at least quarterly.

· Patching and Vulnerability Remediation - Install vendor released security patches and remediate critical and high vulnerabilities in systems processing government information in an expedited manner monthly or as high risk findings are reported by NIEHS ISSO.

· Secure Coding - Follow secure coding best practice requirements, as directed by United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) specified standards and the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), that will limit system software vulnerability exploits.

4) Government Access for Security Assessment. In addition to the Inspection Clause in the contract, the Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall afford the Government access to the Contractor’s facilities, installations, operations, documentation, information systems, and personnel used in performance of this contract to the extent required to carry out a program of security assessment (to include vulnerability testing), investigation, and audit to safeguard against threats and hazards to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of federal data or to the protection of information systems operated on behalf of HHS, including but are not limited to:

a. At any tier handling or accessing information, consent to and allow the Government, or an independent third party working at the Government’s direction, without notice at any time during a weekday during regular business hours contractor local time, to access contractor and subcontractor installations, facilities, infrastructure, data centers, equipment (including but not limited to all servers, computing devices, and portable media), operations, documentation (whether in electronic, paper, or other forms), databases, and personnel which are used in performance of the contract.

The Government includes but is not limited to the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Government Accountability Office, and the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The purpose of the access is to facilitate performance inspections and reviews, security and compliance audits, and law enforcement investigations. For security audits, the audit may include but not be limited to such items as buffer overflows, open ports, unnecessary services, lack of user input filtering, cross site scripting vulnerabilities, SQL injection vulnerabilities, and any other known vulnerabilities.

b. At any tier handling or accessing protected information, fully cooperate with all audits, inspections, investigations, forensic analysis, or other reviews or requirements needed to carry out requirements presented in applicable law or policy. Beyond providing access, full cooperation also includes, but is not limited to, disclosure to investigators of information sufficient to identify the nature and extent of any criminal or fraudulent activity and the individuals responsible for that activity. It includes timely and complete production of requested data, metadata, information, and records relevant to any inspection, audit, investigation, or review, and making employees of the contractor available for interview by inspectors, auditors, and investigators upon request. Full cooperation also includes allowing the Government to make reproductions or copies of information and equipment, including, if necessary, collecting a machine or system image capture.

c. Segregate Government protected information and metadata on the handling of Government protected information from other information. Commingling of information is prohibited. Inspectors, auditors, and investigators will not be precluded from having access to the sought information if sought information is commingled with other information.

d. Cooperate with inspections, audits, investigations, and reviews.

5) End of Life Compliance. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) must use Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) software or other software that is supported by the manufacturer. In addition, the COTS/other software need to be within one major version of the current version; deviation from this requirement will only be allowed via the HHS waiver process (approved by HHS CISO). The contractor shall retire and/or upgrade all software/systems that have reached end-of-life in accordance with HHS End-of-Life Operating Systems, Software, and Applications Policy.

6) Desktops, Laptops, and Other Computing Devices Required for Use by the Contractor. The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall ensure that all IT equipment (e.g., laptops, desktops, servers, routers, mobile devices, peripheral devices, etc.) used to process information on behalf of HHS are deployed and operated in accordance with approved security configurations and meet the following minimum requirements:

a. Encrypt equipment and sensitive information stored and/or processed by such equipment in accordance with HHS and FIPS 140-2 encryption standards.

b. Configure laptops and desktops in accordance with the latest applicable United States Government Configuration Baseline (USGCB), FAR Subpart 39.101(c), and HHS Minimum Security Configuration Standards;

c. Maintain the latest operating system patch release and anti-virus software definitions;

d. Validate the configuration settings after hardware and software installation, operation, maintenance, update, and patching and ensure changes in hardware and software do not alter the approved configuration settings; and

e. Automate configuration settings and configuration management in accordance with HHS security policies, including but not limited to:

· Configuring its systems to allow for periodic HHS vulnerability and security configuration assessment scanning; and

· Using Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP)-validated tools with USGCB Scanner capabilities to scan its systems at least on a monthly basis and report the results of these scans to the CO and/or COR, Project Officer, and any other applicable designated POC.

The Contractor (and/or any subcontractor) shall follow secure coding best practice requirements, as directed by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) specified standards and the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) that will limit system software vulnerability exploits.