NERC CIP-015 Internal Network Security Monitoring Review

Periodic inspection template for reviewing internal network security monitoring data, anomalous activity, alert handling, and retention controls for high and medium impact BES Cyber Systems under NERC CIP-015.

Inspection Scope and Review Details

• Review period and asset scope documented
  Record the inspection period, sites, and BES Cyber Systems included in the review.
• System impact level confirmed
  Confirm the scope includes high impact and/or medium impact BES Cyber Systems.
• Applicable procedure or SOP referenced
  Identify the governing monitoring, review, and escalation procedure used for this inspection.
• Inspector qualified for cybersecurity compliance review
  Confirm the inspector is authorized and trained to perform the review.

Monitoring Coverage and Data Collection

• Internal network monitoring sensors or controls deployed on required segments
  Verify monitoring coverage exists on in-scope internal communication paths supporting BES Cyber Systems.
• Monitoring data is being collected continuously or at the required interval
  Confirm monitoring data collection is active and aligned to the documented review cadence.
• Time synchronization verified across monitored systems
  Confirm logs and monitoring sources use consistent time settings to support event correlation and review.
• Monitoring sources and data feeds are complete
  Verify there are no known gaps in telemetry, log forwarding, or sensor health affecting review completeness.
• Data quality issues identified
  Select any observed issues affecting monitoring data quality.

Review of Alerts and Anomalous Activity

• Alerts reviewed for the required period
  Confirm alerts and monitoring events were reviewed for the full inspection period.
• Anomalous activity investigated and dispositioned
  Verify anomalous events were investigated, documented, and closed or escalated appropriately.
• Unauthorized communication paths or unusual internal connections detected
  Check for unexpected internal connections, lateral movement indicators, or policy violations.
• Alert triage timestamps captured
  Record when the latest sample alert was detected and when it was reviewed.
• Observed event severity
  Classify the most significant observed event during the review.
• Evidence of repeated or unresolved anomalies
  Determine whether the same anomalous condition has recurred without effective remediation.

Retention, Storage, and Access Controls

• Monitoring records retained for the required retention period
  Verify monitoring data, alerts, and review records are retained per the applicable retention requirement and procedure.
• Retention location is secure and access-controlled
  Confirm stored monitoring records are protected from unauthorized access, alteration, or deletion.
• Backup or archive copies available
  Verify backup or archive copies exist for the monitoring records reviewed.
• Records retrieval time
  Enter the approximate time required to retrieve a sampled monitoring record.
• Retention or access control deficiencies observed
  Select any deficiencies observed in retention, storage, or access control.

Response, Escalation, and Corrective Action

• Escalation path used for significant findings
  Confirm significant findings were escalated to the appropriate cybersecurity, operations, or compliance owner.
• Corrective action owner assigned
  Identify the person or team responsible for remediation of any deficiency or non-conformance.
• Corrective action due date
  Record the target completion date and time for remediation.
• Open findings count
  Enter the number of open deficiencies or non-conformances identified during the review.
• Follow-up inspection required
  Indicate whether a follow-up review is needed after corrective actions are completed.

Inspector Sign-Off

• Overall inspection result
  Select the final result of the inspection.
• Inspector comments
  Summarize key observations, deficiencies, and any compensating controls.
• Inspector signature
  Inspector attestation for the completed review.