# Policy Enforcement

> A mechanism that blocks an action a policy forbids at the point the action is attempted.

Record: `architecture:policy-enforcement`
Kind: mechanism
Layer: [Security Core](https://banes-lab.com/records/layer/security-core.md)
Severity: mandatory
Scope: code, infrastructure, runtime
Canonical: https://banes-lab.com/ontology#architecture-policy-enforcement

Listed in [Architecture principles](https://banes-lab.com/api/records/architecture.md), after [Governance](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/governance.md) and before [Policy as Code](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/policy-as-code.md).

## Repair

- Refactored by: Codify Policy, Add Gate
- Detected by: policy drift
- Violated by: unenforced policy
- Measured by: policy violation count
- Enforced by: CI/CD, runtime policy engine

## Requires

- [Defined Policy](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/defined-policy.md)

## Reinforces

- [Compliance](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/compliance.md)
- [Security](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/security.md)

## Enables

- [Automated Control](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/automated-control.md)

## Conflicts with

- [Manual-Only Review](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/manual-only-review.md)

## In tension with

- [False Positives](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/false-positives.md)

## Tensions

- [Policy Enforcement / False Positives](https://banes-lab.com/records/tension/false-positives-policy-enforcement.md)

## Severity

- [mandatory](https://banes-lab.com/records/vocabulary/severity-mandatory.md)

## Category

- [Security / Privacy / Compliance / Governance](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture-category/security-privacy-compliance-governance.md)

## Linked from

- [The gate holds the line](https://banes-lab.com/disciplined-methodology/build/the-gate-holds-the-line.md)
- [The author is probabilistic](https://banes-lab.com/software-architecture/scale/the-author-is-probabilistic.md)
- [Security / Privacy / Compliance / Governance](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/principles/architecture-category-security-privacy-compliance-governance.md)
- [Core Vocabulary](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/lexicon/lexicon-category-core-vocabulary.md)
- [Quality Attributes](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/lexicon/lexicon-category-quality-attributes.md)
- [Security Privacy Compliance](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/lexicon/lexicon-category-security-privacy-compliance.md)
- [Severity levels](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema/the-vocabulary-severity.md)
- [The resolutions](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/schema/the-resolutions.md)