# SC-3(4) — Module Coupling and Cohesiveness

- **Control ID:** SC-3(4)
- **Family:** [SC](/md/families/SC.md)
- **Baselines:** No content available.
- **Enhancement of:** [SC-3](/md/controls/SC-3.md)

## Description

Implement security functions as largely independent modules that maximize internal cohesiveness within modules and minimize coupling between modules.

## Discussion

The reduction of inter-module interactions helps to constrain security functions and manage complexity. The concepts of coupling and cohesion are important with respect to modularity in software design. Coupling refers to the dependencies that one module has on other modules. Cohesion refers to the relationship between functions within a module. Best practices in software engineering and systems security engineering rely on layering, minimization, and modular decomposition to reduce and manage complexity. This produces software modules that are highly cohesive and loosely coupled.

## Implementation guidance

No content available.

## CSF 2.0 subcategories

No content available.

## Related controls

No content available.

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Derived from official NIST publications (NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 and NIST CSF 2.0). nistcontrols.com is not affiliated with NIST.