Question · SCIF / Air-Gap Posture
Can I run a compliance audit on an air-gapped or SCIF AI system?
ICD 705 sets the requirement that SCI be handled only in accredited SCIFs built and operated to Intelligence Community physical and technical security standards.
01 / The answer
The short answer
Yes, if the audit tooling runs entirely inside the accredited boundary and is approved for the classified system. Under 32 CFR 117.18, a cleared contractor's classified system must be authorized by the cognizant security authority, and security-relevant changes can require reauthorization, so audit tools go through the same change control as any other software. The tooling must not need a network connection. Any output moved off the system must be reviewed for classification and transferred only through approved procedures.
02 / The rule
What SCIF / Air-Gap Posture requires
ICD 705 sets the requirement that SCI be handled only in accredited SCIFs built and operated to Intelligence Community physical and technical security standards. Classified information systems, typically air-gapped from unclassified networks, must be authorized before use, under ICD 503 for the IC and 32 CFR 117.18 (applying the NIST RMF) for cleared contractors, so any AI system used on classified data must be accredited inside that boundary.
- 01Process, store and discuss SCI only in a SCIF accredited by the cognizant security authority.
- 02Build and operate SCIFs to the ICD/ICS 705 Technical Specifications, including intrusion detection approved by the CSA.
- 03Obtain CSA authorization before any contractor system processes classified information (32 CFR 117.18).
- 04Appoint an Information System Security Manager and follow the RMF steps, system security plan and continuous monitoring.
03 / Records
Records to keep
- 01SCIF accreditation documentation and fixed facility checklist
- 02Classified system authorization (ATO) from the CSA
- 03System security plan and ISSM certifications
- 04Self-inspection and continuous monitoring records
Optional evidence · where Planisphere fits
Keep a record anyone can check
When your team meets a duty, Planisphere can seal the event it reports as a receipt.
A disclosure shown, a review signed, a model change approved: the event your system reports.
The event becomes a sealed receipt, dated and attributed to whoever is signed in.
Paste the receipt into Verify. No account or key.
A record supports your compliance evidence process. It is not a legal finding or a certification. Systems that call Planisphere's gate API can also hold or refuse an action before it runs.
SOURCES
Go back to the source
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