Applications used for nonlocal maintenance sessions must protect nonlocal maintenance sessions by separating the maintenance session from other network sessions by either physically separated communications paths or logically separated communications paths based upon encryption.

Privileged access contains control and configuration information that must not be mixed with normal operational or user traffic, so additional protections are necessary. This is maintained by using separate, dedicated management interfaces and networks with additional protections or by using encryption.

Nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic activities are those activities conducted by individuals communicating through a network, either an external network (e.g., the internet) or an internal network. Local maintenance and diagnostic activities are those activities carried out by individuals physically present at the information system or information system component and not communicating across a network connection.

This requirement applies to hardware/software diagnostic test equipment or tools. This requirement does not cover hardware/software components that may support information system maintenance, yet are a part of the system (e.g., the software implementing "ping," "ls," "ipconfig," or the hardware and software implementing the monitoring port of an Ethernet switch).

The application can meet this requirement through leveraging a cryptographic module.