Criminal Justice Information Services Security Policy
CJIS
FBI security policy for systems accessing Criminal Justice Information.
Overview
The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy emerged in response to the growing need for standardized protection of sensitive law enforcement data in the digital age. Developed by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, this comprehensive standard represents a critical evolution in safeguarding criminal justice information (CJI) across multiple government jurisdictions. Originally created to address vulnerabilities in law enforcement data sharing, the CJIS standard replaced fragmented and inconsistent data protection approaches that existed prior to its implementation. The policy has undergone multiple revisions since its inception, with significant updates reflecting emerging cybersecurity threats and technological advancements in digital information management. Unlike commercial compliance frameworks, CJIS is a mandatory standard for any organization handling criminal justice data. It establishes rigorous requirements for protecting sensitive information such as fingerprints, criminal histories, and law enforcement sensitive data. The standard covers 13 distinct security areas, focusing on maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of criminal justice information. For data centers, CJIS compliance is not optional but a critical prerequisite for participating in national criminal information networks. The standard mandates advanced security controls, including multi-factor authentication, role-based access management, cryptographic protections meeting FIPS 140-2 standards, and comprehensive audit logging. Organizations failing to meet these requirements are effectively prohibited from accessing or transmitting criminal justice information, making CJIS certification a fundamental requirement for any data center serving law enforcement agencies.
Key Requirements
Information Exchange Agreements (IEA)
Data centers must establish and maintain detailed information exchange agreements with each law enforcement agency accessing CJI through their infrastructure, explicitly authorizing data types, transmission methods, access scope, and security responsibilities.
These agreements must document the specific criminal justice information categories being shared, define the purpose and legal authority for each data exchange, specify encryption standards and transmission protocols, and establish incident notification procedures with maximum response timeframes of 24 hours for security breaches.
The IEA serves as the legal and technical foundation governing all CJI handling within the data center environment.
Security Awareness Training and Certification
All data center personnel with any access to CJI, including administrators, security personnel, and third-party contractors, must complete FBI-recognized CJIS security awareness training within 30 days of hire and annually thereafter, with documented certification maintained and auditable.
Training must cover the sensitivity of criminal justice information, unauthorized access penalties under federal law, proper handling procedures specific to law enforcement data, social engineering threats targeting criminal justice systems, and the data center's specific security policies for CJI protection.
Data center management must maintain training records for a minimum of three years and demonstrate 100% completion rates during compliance audits.
Access Control Implementation
Data centers must implement role-based access control (RBAC) with principle of least privilege, ensuring each user account has access only to the minimum CJI necessary for their specific job function, with administrative access separated from operational access.
Multi-factor authentication must protect all remote access to systems containing CJI, utilizing methods such as hardware tokens, SMS verification, or biometric authentication; default credentials must be disabled; and system accounts must be individually identifiable rather than shared.
Access logs must capture user identity, access method, resources accessed, time, and action taken, with logs retained for minimum 90 days and protected against tampering.
Incident Response and Breach Notification
Data centers must establish and maintain a formal incident response plan specifically addressing CJI security incidents, with defined escalation procedures, investigation protocols, and notification requirements to the FBI and affected law enforcement agencies within 24 hours of discovery of any unauthorized CJI access or suspected data breach.
The incident response team must include technical personnel, legal representatives, and security leadership; a documented chain of custody must be maintained for all forensic evidence; and root cause analysis must be completed within 30 days with corrective actions implemented before resuming full CJI operations.
Audit Logging and Monitoring
All systems accessing, storing, or transmitting CJI must generate comprehensive audit logs capturing every access event with timestamps, user identification, resources accessed, and actions performed, with logs maintained for minimum 90 days and protected with write-once storage or cryptographic integrity verification.
Data centers must implement real-time monitoring systems that alert security personnel to suspicious access patterns, failed authentication attempts exceeding thresholds, after-hours access to CJI repositories, and bulk data extractions that may indicate unauthorized exfiltration.
Log analysis must occur at least weekly with documented reviews and escalation of anomalies.
Identification and Authentication
All personnel accessing CJI must be individually authenticated through unique user credentials, with passwords meeting complexity requirements (minimum 12 characters, uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters) and changed every 90 days with prohibition on password reuse for at least 12 previous passwords.
Administrative accounts accessing CJI must require multi-factor authentication for each access session; service accounts must be prohibited from accessing CJI; and privileged access must be logged separately and reviewed for appropriateness monthly.
Account lockout must activate after five failed authentication attempts within 15 minutes.
Physical and Environmental Security
Data center facilities storing or processing CJI must implement badge access controls with time-based permissions, closed-circuit camera surveillance in server rooms and tape storage areas with 30-day video retention, environmental controls maintaining temperature between 65-75°F and humidity between 45-55%, and segregated network infrastructure physically isolated from non-CJI systems where technically feasible.
Visitor access to CJI areas must be prohibited; contractor access must be pre-approved and escorted; and removable media containing CJI must be stored in locked cabinets with separate access tracking.
System and Communications Protection
All CJI in transit must be encrypted using FIPS 140-2 validated cryptographic algorithms (minimum AES-256 for data at rest, TLS 1.2 or higher for data in transit), with encryption keys managed through secure key management systems separate from encrypted data
Network segregation must isolate CJI systems from internet-facing and non-law-enforcement systems through firewalls, demilitarized zones (DMZ), and virtual private networks (VPN); unencrypted CJI must never traverse public or untrusted networks.
Data centers must implement intrusion detection and prevention systems monitoring for unauthorized access attempts or data exfiltration patterns specific to criminal justice information characteristics.
Who Uses & Why
CJIS compliance becomes mandatory when a data center serves law enforcement agencies requiring access to criminal justice information. This requirement extends to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement organizations, including agencies like the FBI, DEA, and state police departments. Geographic considerations play a significant role in CJIS compliance. Some states have more stringent requirements, potentially mandating additional security controls beyond the federal standard. Data centers operating in or serving multiple jurisdictions must carefully navigate these regional variations. Mid-sized data centers (100-500 servers) often find CJIS compliance most achievable, with implementation costs balanced against potential law enforcement contracts. Enterprise cloud providers view CJIS certification as a strategic opportunity, potentially unlocking federal contracts valued at over $5 billion annually. Optional but beneficial scenarios include data centers seeking to differentiate themselves in the government technology market, those planning expansion into law enforcement technology services, or organizations wanting to demonstrate advanced security capabilities. While not universally required, CJIS compliance can be a significant competitive advantage in the government and public safety technology sectors.