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NIST SP 800-172 Enhanced CUI Protection Center

03.08.01E — Dual Authorization for Media Sanitization

Read the official CUI requirement and assessment content, then use the separately labeled Bare Metal Cyber perspective to connect it to implementation, evidence, and sustained operation.

1Parameters
1Source controls
1Assessment objectives
3Assessment methods

03.08 — Media Protection · NIST SP 800-172 Revision 3

Active
Official NIST requirement content

Security requirement

Enforce dual authorization for the sanitization of [Organization-defined: system media].

Official NIST discussion

Discussion

Dual authorization is also known as two-person control. Dual authorization reduces risk related to insider threats, including adversaries who have obtained credentials. Organizations employ dual authorization to help ensure that the sanitization of system media cannot occur unless two technically qualified individuals conduct the designated task. Individuals who sanitize system media possess sufficient skills and expertise to determine whether the proposed sanitization reflects applicable federal and organizational standards, policies, and procedures. Dual authorization also helps to ensure that sanitization occurs as intended to protect against errors and false claims of having performed the sanitization actions. To reduce the risk of collusion, organizations consider rotating dual authorization duties to other individuals. Organizations consider the risks associated with implementing dual authorization when immediate responses are necessary to help ensure public and environmental safety. This requirement enhances SP 800-171 requirement 03.08.03.

Official organization-defined parameters

Tailoring decisions required

Resolve these values through the governing organization’s approved tailoring and risk-management process before declaring the requirement implemented.

system mediaorganization-defined system media containing CUIsystem media to be sanitized using dual authorization is defined.
Official protection strategy classifications

Protection strategies supported

These classifications are carried from the official SP 800-172 OSCAL record and help explain the enhanced requirement’s defensive purpose.

PS-PRAPenetration-Resistant Architecture
Bare Metal Cyber interpretation

Implementation perspective

Treat Dual Authorization for Media Sanitization as an enhanced CUI protection outcome for elevated threat conditions that must be reflected in the system boundary, documented implementation, operational behavior, and assessment evidence. Pay particular attention to CUI media accountability, access, marking, storage, transport, sanitization, and disposal.

  1. Confirm the federal agency selected this enhanced requirement for the critical program or high-value asset and identify the CUI system components, services, users, and external connections in scope.
  2. Resolve every organization-defined parameter through an approved governance and tailoring process.
  3. Map each clause of the requirement to an accountable owner, implementation mechanism, and evidence source.
  4. Verify that inherited and shared implementations are supported by current provider evidence and responsibility boundaries.
  5. Collect evidence during normal operation and review changes, exceptions, and deficiencies on a risk-based cadence.

Questions to ask

  • Which critical-program or high-value-asset CUI, data flows, users, and services are protected by this enhanced requirement?
  • Which portions are implemented locally, inherited, shared, or not applicable, and what evidence supports that determination?
  • Do the system security plan, deployed configuration, operating process, and assessment evidence tell the same story?
  • What change, incident, or threshold should trigger reassessment?

Evidence and validation

  • media inventories and chain-of-custody records
  • sanitization certificates
  • transport and storage procedures
  • removable-media control logs

Common failure patterns

  • cloud snapshots and virtual media excluded
  • sanitization method not matched to media type
  • untracked removable media
  • disposal vendors accepted without verification
Official NIST SP 800-172A content

Assessment objectives and methods

Assessment objectives (1)

  1. dual authorization for the sanitization of [Organization-defined: system media] is enforced.

Examine

  • System media protection policy
  • procedures addressing media sanitization and disposal
  • dual authorization policy and procedures
  • list of system media requiring dual authorization for sanitization
  • authorization records
  • media sanitization records
  • audit records
  • system security plan
  • other relevant documents or records

Interview

  • Personnel with system media sanitization responsibilities
  • personnel with information security responsibilities
  • system/network administrators

Test

  • Processes requiring dual authorization for media sanitization
  • mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media sanitization
  • mechanisms supporting and/or implementing dual authorization
Official source-control relationships

Source NIST SP 800-53 controls

These controls are referenced by the official SP 800-172 Rev. 3 OSCAL record. Open the corresponding control pages for complete control text, enhancements, D3FEND mappings, and related learning.

Source controlMP-6(7)Open SP 800-53 control →
Source record

Authoritative sources

Bare Metal Cyber is an independent educational publisher and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NIST. The official publications, the responsible federal agency, and the governing contract or agreement determine applicability, tailoring, assessment depth, and required implementation.