What does the practice AC.L2-3.1.8 require organizations to define in relation to logon attempts?

The practice AC.L2-3.1.8 focuses on the importance of monitoring and responding to logon attempts to enhance security within an organization. Specifically, it requires organizations to define the number of unsuccessful logon attempts allowed and the subsequent actions that should be taken if that threshold is reached.

This practice aims to mitigate risks associated with unauthorized access attempts and potential brute-force attacks. By establishing a clear protocol for managing unsuccessful logon attempts, organizations can ensure they have an effective response strategy in place, such as locking accounts after a certain number of failed attempts, notifying users of suspicious activity, or triggering security alerts. This proactive approach helps protect sensitive assets and information by discouraging repeated unauthorized access attempts.

In contrast, simply monitoring successful logon attempts does not provide insights into potential security threats. The options related to device connections and the number of user accounts created do not focus on the process of managing access attempts, which is central to maintaining robust access controls and a secure environment. Thus, defining actions related to unsuccessful logon attempts directly aligns with best practices in access control management as required by the CMMC framework.