# Q4 criterion audit scope and authority

- **Artifact ID:** CHQ-AUDIT-2026-Q4-SCOPE
- **Status:** DECLARED
- **Public record:** https://record.cybersecurityhq.com/governance/chq-audit-2026-q4-scope
- **Machine-record SHA-256:** `81f18334fb81160f22aeef7681396009704ccbb88928abd118ef58a831ed67a2`
- **Publication correction:** CHQ-PUB-CORR-2026-001. This digest supersedes `ebf88f43592ecd0b0aa75a1c9ffb4da8664f8c88908754ade97c7ac563937914`; the earlier digest does not verify these bytes.

## Complete structured record

```json
{
  "id": "CHQ-AUDIT-2026-Q4-SCOPE",
  "title": "Q4 criterion audit scope and authority",
  "class": "AUDIT",
  "effective": null,
  "published": "2026-10-13",
  "status": "DECLARED",
  "scope": "The Q4 criterion audit MAY: reject, amend or ratify CHQ-CRIT-SC011-v1.1; remove provisionally counted founding instances (SN-2026-07-29-01, SN-2026-10-06-01) from SC-2026-011's counted set; lower SC-2026-011 (floor on the Services Australia instance alone is STRENGTHENING under v1.3); set an agency evidence standard for SC-2026-008 and lower that rating if single-source attribution of the defining attribute does not meet it; re-open the CGS-11.3 standing of SC-2026-008's 7 July single-event confirmation; rule on the grade of operator primary accounts and on the authorization-evidence test for SC-2026-011; rule on pre-v2.0 in-era instances for SC-2026-006 (PeopleSoft). No standing conclusion is protected by the ratification mechanism. Branch outcomes for SC-2026-011: v1.1 ratified, three counted plus Anthropic adjudicated under the ratified text and the confirmation test runs; v1.1 rejected, counted set reduces to one, rating STRENGTHENING, Watch re-assessed.",
  "rule": "Declaration ratified under D21 as it stood on 2026-10-13. No Q4 audit outcome is pre-ratified. Provisionally counted instances and Anthropic must be reassessed against any ratified criterion and independence test; confirmation requires the two-operator threshold to be independently demonstrated.",
  "rationale": null,
  "authority": "analyst declared 2026-10-13; DM ratified 2026-10-13",
  "references": [
    "CHQ-CRIT-SC011-v1.1",
    "CHQ-AUDIT-2026-Q4-GRADE-OPERATOR-PRIMARY",
    "CHQ-SC-2026-008",
    "CHQ-SC-2026-006",
    "CHQ-SC-2026-011"
  ]
}
```