Media Transport

LOW ✓ MODERATE ✓ HIGH
1 Enhancement 1 Overlay 12 Related Controls
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Requirements NIST SOURCE

Discussion (NIST Supplemental Guidance)

System media includes digital and non-digital media. Digital media includes flash drives, diskettes, magnetic tapes, external or removable hard disk drives (e.g., solid state and magnetic), compact discs, and digital versatile discs. Non-digital media includes microfilm and paper. Controlled areas are spaces for which organizations provide physical or procedural controls to meet requirements established for protecting information and systems. Controls to protect media during transport include cryptography and locked containers. Cryptographic mechanisms can provide confidentiality and integrity protections depending on the mechanisms implemented. Activities associated with media transport include releasing media for transport, ensuring that media enters the appropriate transport processes, and the actual transport. Authorized transport and courier personnel may include individuals external to the organization. Maintaining accountability of media during transport includes restricting transport activities to authorized personnel and tracking and/or obtaining records of transport activities as the media moves through the transportation system to prevent and detect loss, destruction, or tampering. Organizations establish documentation requirements for activities associated with the transport of system media in accordance with organizational assessments of risk. Organizations maintain the flexibility to define record-keeping methods for the different types of media transport as part of a system of transport-related records.

Enhancements NIST SOURCE

MP-5(1) Protection Outside of Controlled Areas WITHDRAWN

Withdrawn. Incorporated into MP-5.

MP-5(2) Documentation of Activities WITHDRAWN

Withdrawn. Incorporated into MP-5.

MP-5(3) Custodians LOW MODERATE HIGH

Employ an identified custodian during transport of system media outside of controlled areas.

Discussion

Identified custodians provide organizations with specific points of contact during the media transport process and facilitate individual accountability. Custodial responsibilities can be transferred from one individual to another if an unambiguous custodian is identified.

Open full page for MP-5(3) →
MP-5(4) Cryptographic Protection WITHDRAWN

Withdrawn. Incorporated into SC-28(1).

Implementation Guidance

Engineering Interpretation

Original engineering commentary written for this explorer — not NIST source text and not authoritative guidance.

No engineering interpretation has been authored for MP-5 yet. This section is architected to receive it — see the Requirements and Assessment sections above for the authoritative NIST source content in the meantime.

Assessment

NIST SP 800-53A REV 5.2.0

Assessment Objectives

  1. types of system media to protect and control during transport outside of controlled areas are defined;
  2. controls used to protect system media outside of controlled areas are defined;
  3. controls used to control system media outside of controlled areas are defined;
  4. <MP-05_ODP[01] types of system media> are protected during transport outside of controlled areas using <MP-05_ODP[02] controls>;
  5. <MP-05_ODP[01] types of system media> are controlled during transport outside of controlled areas using <MP-05_ODP[03] controls>;
  6. accountability for system media is maintained during transport outside of controlled areas;
  7. activities associated with the transport of system media are documented;
  8. personnel authorized to conduct media transport activities is/are identified;
  9. activities associated with the transport of system media are restricted to identified authorized personnel.

Examine

[SELECT FROM: System media protection policy; procedures addressing media storage; physical and environmental protection policy and procedures; access control policy and procedures; authorized personnel list; system media; designated controlled areas; system security plan; other relevant documents or records].

Interview

[SELECT FROM: Organizational personnel with system media protection and storage responsibilities; organizational personnel with information security responsibilities; system/network administrators].

Test

[SELECT FROM: Organizational processes for storing information media; mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media storage/media protection].

Overlays

OT/ICS Overlay SP 800-82r3

NIST SP 800-82r3 Appendix F, Table 22. Blank baseline means the control/control enhancement is not selected in that initial OT baseline.

LOW

Not applicable at this tier.

MODERATE

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)

HIGH

  • Base control: Included (matches standard baseline)

STIGs & CCIs

No STIG checks or CCI mappings are currently loaded for MP-5. This section is architected to display, per product: STIG ID, Finding ID, Severity, Title, Description, Check, Fix, CCI, and NIST control mapping — but nothing is populated here until a real DISA STIG/CCI dataset is ingested.

Learn more about STIG/CCI integration →

Evidence

Potential Evidence — Derived

Categorized from the SP 800-53A "Examine"/"Test" artifact list above by keyword — not an authoritative NIST evidence list.

Policy

  • System media protection policy
  • physical and environmental protection policy and procedures
  • access control policy and procedures
  • system security plan

Testing

  • Organizational processes for storing information media
  • mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media storage/media protection

Other Records

  • procedures addressing media storage
  • authorized personnel list
  • system media
  • designated controlled areas
  • other relevant documents or records