compliance.tf

Azure subscriptions should limit owners to 3

It is recommended to designate up to 3 subscription owners in order to reduce the potential for breach by a compromised owner. The Azure Policy check A maximum of 3 owners should be designated for your subscription applies to Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions.

What this control checks

A maximum of 3 owners should be designated for your subscription

Framework mappings

The clauses this control is mapped to in each framework.

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

  • AC-2 Account Management
  • AC-6: Least Privilege
  • AC-6(7) Review of User Privileges

NIST Cybersecurity Framework v2.0

  • GV.OC-02: Internal and external stakeholders are understood, and their needs and expectations regarding cybersecurity risk management are understood and considered.
  • GV.RR-01: Organizational leadership is responsible and accountable for cybersecurity risk and fosters a culture that is risk-aware, ethical, and continually improving.
  • GV.RR-02: Roles, responsibilities, and authorities related to cybersecurity risk management are established, communicated, understood, and enforced.
  • GV.RR-04: Cybersecurity is included in human resources practices.
  • GV.SC-02
5 more clauses
  • PR.AA-01: Identities and credentials for authorized users, services, and hardware are managed by the organization.
  • PR.AA-02: Identities are proofed and bound to credentials based on the context of interactions.
  • PR.AA-03
  • PR.AA-04
  • PR.AA-05

FedRAMP Moderate Baseline Rev 4

  • AC-2 (3): Disable Inactive Accounts
  • AC-6 (5): Privileged Accounts

NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2

  • 3.1.1 Limit system access to authorized users, processes acting on behalf of authorized users, and devices (including other systems)
  • 3.1.5: Employ the principle of least privilege, including for specific security functions and privileged accounts.

RBI IT Framework for NBFCs

  • 3.1.c Role based Access Control
  • 3.1.f Maker-checker
  • 3.1.g Trails

CMMC 2.0 Level 2

  • AC.L1-3.1.1 Limit system access to authorized users, processes acting on behalf of authorized users, and devices (including other systems)
  • AC.L2-3.1.5 Employ the principle of least privilege, including for specific security functions and privileged accounts

FedRAMP High

  • AC-2 Account Management
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
  • AC-6(7) Review Of User Privileges

HIPAA HITRUST v9.2

  • 1144.01c1System.4-01.c 01.02 Authorized Access to Information Systems
  • 1151.01c3System.1-01.c 01.02 Authorized Access to Information Systems
  • 11112.01q2Organizational.67-01.q 01.05 Operating System Access Control

PCI DSS v3.2.1

  • 7.1.1: Define access needs for each role, including: - System components and data resources that each role needs to access for their job function - Level of privilege required (for example, user, administrator, etc.) for accessing resources.
  • 7.1.3: Assign access based on individual personnel's job classification and function.
  • Restrict access to privileged user IDs to least privileges necessary to perform job responsibilities

Tool mappings

Use these identifiers to cross-reference this control across tools, reports, and evidence.

  • Compliance.tf Control: iam_subscription_owner_max_3
  • Powerpipe Controls: azure_compliance.control.iam_subscription_owner_between_2_and_3, azure_compliance.control.iam_subscription_owner_max_3
  • Azure Policy Definition: 4f11b553-d42e-4e3a-89be-32ca364cad4c

Last reviewed: 2026-10-13

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