Control statement
- a.Sanitize [Organization-defined: organization-defined system media] prior to disposal, release out of organizational control, or release for reuse using [Organization-defined: organization-defined sanitization techniques and procedures] ; and
- b.Employ sanitization mechanisms with the strength and integrity commensurate with the security category or classification of the information.
Discussion
Media sanitization applies to all digital and non-digital system media subject to disposal or reuse, whether or not the media is considered removable. Examples include digital media in scanners, copiers, printers, notebook computers, workstations, network components, mobile devices, and non-digital media (e.g., paper and microfilm). The sanitization process removes information from system media such that the information cannot be retrieved or reconstructed. Sanitization techniques—including clearing, purging, cryptographic erase, de-identification of personally identifiable information, and destruction—prevent the disclosure of information to unauthorized individuals when such media is reused or released for disposal. Organizations determine the appropriate sanitization methods, recognizing that destruction is sometimes necessary when other methods cannot be applied to media requiring sanitization. Organizations use discretion on the employment of approved sanitization techniques and procedures for media that contains information deemed to be in the public domain or publicly releasable or information deemed to have no adverse impact on organizations or individuals if released for reuse or disposal. Sanitization of non-digital media includes destruction, removing a classified appendix from an otherwise unclassified document, or redacting selected sections or words from a document by obscuring the redacted sections or words in a manner equivalent in effectiveness to removing them from the document. NSA standards and policies control the sanitization process for media that contains classified information. NARA policies control the sanitization process for controlled unclassified information.
Organization-defined parameters
These values must be resolved through the organization’s tailoring and governance process. Bracketed parameter references in the control text identify where a decision is required.
From control text to operational evidence
Use Media Sanitization as a testable risk decision. Translate the official statement into accountable people, repeatable processes, configured technology, and evidence that demonstrates the outcome over time. In this family, pay particular attention to media accountability, handling, sanitization, transport, and disposal across physical and digital forms.
Implementation workflow
- Define the control boundary, responsible owner, inherited portions, and systems or processes in scope.
- Resolve each organization-defined parameter before declaring the control implemented.
- Document how the implementation satisfies every clause of the official control statement.
- Collect evidence as a normal byproduct of operation rather than only before an assessment.
- Review exceptions, changes, and monitoring results on a risk-based cadence.
Evidence examples
- 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 from policy
- sanitization method not matched to media type
- untracked removable media
- disposal vendors accepted without verification
Questions practitioners should ask
- What risk decision is this control intended to support in this system?
- Which parts are implemented locally, inherited, shared, or not applicable—and what evidence supports that decision?
- Do the documented narrative, deployed configuration, operating process, and collected evidence agree?
- What event or threshold requires the implementation to be reviewed or changed?
Assessment objectives and methods
Show the assessment objective
- MP-06a.
- MP-06a.[01][Organization-defined: system media] is sanitized using [Organization-defined: sanitization techniques and procedures] prior to disposal;
- MP-06a.[02][Organization-defined: system media] is sanitized using [Organization-defined: sanitization techniques and procedures] prior to release from organizational control;
- MP-06a.[03][Organization-defined: system media] is sanitized using [Organization-defined: sanitization techniques and procedures] prior to release for reuse;
- MP-06b.sanitization mechanisms with strength and integrity commensurate with the security category or classification of the information are employed.
Examine
- System media protection policy
- procedures addressing media sanitization and disposal
- applicable federal standards and policies addressing media sanitization policy
- media sanitization records
- system audit records
- system design documentation
- records retention and disposition policy
- records retention and disposition procedures
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
- system security plan
- privacy plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with media sanitization responsibilities
- organizational personnel with records retention and disposition responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities
- system/network administrators
Test
- Organizational processes for media sanitization
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media sanitization
Related controls
These relationships come from the official OSCAL catalog. They indicate useful dependencies or context, not automatic inheritance or equivalence.
Control enhancements
Enhancements add specificity, strength, or scope to the base control. Baseline badges show explicit selections in the official SP 800-53B OSCAL profiles.
MP-6(1) — Review, Approve, Track, Document, and Verify
Review, approve, track, document, and verify media sanitization and disposal actions.
Official discussion
Organizations review and approve media to be sanitized to ensure compliance with records retention policies. Tracking and documenting actions include listing personnel who reviewed and approved sanitization and disposal actions, types of media sanitized, files stored on the media, sanitization methods used, date and time of the sanitization actions, personnel who performed the sanitization, verification actions taken and personnel who performed the verification, and the disposal actions taken. Organizations verify that the sanitization of the media was effective prior to disposal.
Assessment objectives and methods
- MP-06(01)[01]media sanitization and disposal actions are reviewed;
- MP-06(01)[02]media sanitization and disposal actions are approved;
- MP-06(01)[03]media sanitization and disposal actions are tracked;
- MP-06(01)[04]media sanitization and disposal actions are documented;
- MP-06(01)[05]media sanitization and disposal actions are verified.
Examine
- System media protection policy
- procedures addressing media sanitization and disposal
- records retention and disposition policy
- records retention and disposition procedures
- media sanitization and disposal records
- review records for media sanitization and disposal actions
- approvals for media sanitization and disposal actions
- tracking records
- verification records
- system audit records
- system security plan
- privacy plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with system media sanitization and disposal responsibilities
- organizational personnel with records retention and disposition responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities
- system/network administrators
Test
- Organizational processes for media sanitization
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media sanitization
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing verification of media sanitization
MP-6(2) — Equipment Testing
Test sanitization equipment and procedures [Organization-defined: organization-defined frequency] to ensure that the intended sanitization is being achieved.
Official discussion
Testing of sanitization equipment and procedures may be conducted by qualified and authorized external entities, including federal agencies or external service providers.
Organization-defined parameters (3)
Assessment objectives and methods
- MP-06(02)[01]sanitization equipment is tested [Organization-defined: frequency] to ensure that the intended sanitization is being achieved;
- MP-06(02)[02]sanitization procedures are tested [Organization-defined: frequency] to ensure that the intended sanitization is being achieved.
Examine
- System media protection policy
- procedures addressing media sanitization and disposal
- procedures addressing testing of media sanitization equipment
- results of media sanitization equipment and procedures testing
- system audit records
- records retention and disposition policy
- records retention and disposition procedures
- system security plan
- privacy plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with system media sanitization responsibilities
- organizational personnel with records retention and disposition responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security and privacy responsibilities
Test
- Organizational processes for media sanitization
- automated mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media sanitization
- automated mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media sanitization procedures
- sanitization equipment
MP-6(3) — Nondestructive Techniques
Apply nondestructive sanitization techniques to portable storage devices prior to connecting such devices to the system under the following circumstances: [Organization-defined: circumstances].
Official discussion
Portable storage devices include external or removable hard disk drives (e.g., solid state, magnetic), optical discs, magnetic or optical tapes, flash memory devices, flash memory cards, and other external or removable disks. Portable storage devices can be obtained from untrustworthy sources and contain malicious code that can be inserted into or transferred to organizational systems through USB ports or other entry portals. While scanning storage devices is recommended, sanitization provides additional assurance that such devices are free of malicious code. Organizations consider nondestructive sanitization of portable storage devices when the devices are purchased from manufacturers or vendors prior to initial use or when organizations cannot maintain a positive chain of custody for the devices.
Organization-defined parameters (1)
Assessment objectives and methods
non-destructive sanitization techniques are applied to portable storage devices prior to connecting such devices to the system under [Organization-defined: circumstances].
Examine
- System media protection policy
- procedures addressing media sanitization and disposal
- information on portable storage devices for the system
- list of circumstances requiring sanitization of portable storage devices
- media sanitization records
- audit records
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with system media sanitization responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Organizational processes for media sanitization of portable storage devices
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media sanitization
MP-6(4) — Controlled Unclassified Information
This enhancement is marked withdrawn in the official OSCAL catalog. Related-control metadata below may identify where its intent was incorporated.
MP-6(5) — Classified Information
This enhancement is marked withdrawn in the official OSCAL catalog. Related-control metadata below may identify where its intent was incorporated.
MP-6(6) — Media Destruction
This enhancement is marked withdrawn in the official OSCAL catalog. Related-control metadata below may identify where its intent was incorporated.
MP-6(7) — Dual Authorization
Enforce dual authorization for the sanitization of [Organization-defined: system media].
Official discussion
Organizations employ dual authorization to help ensure that system media sanitization cannot occur unless two technically qualified individuals conduct the designated task. Individuals who sanitize system media possess sufficient skills and expertise to determine if the proposed sanitization reflects applicable federal and organizational standards, policies, and procedures. Dual authorization also helps to ensure that sanitization occurs as intended, protecting against errors and false claims of having performed the sanitization actions. Dual authorization may also be known as two-person control. To reduce the risk of collusion, organizations consider rotating dual authorization duties to other individuals.
Organization-defined parameters (1)
Assessment objectives and methods
dual authorization for 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
- Organizational personnel with system media sanitization responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
- system/network administrators
Test
- Organizational processes requiring dual authorization for media sanitization
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media sanitization
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing dual authorization
Related controls
MP-6(8) — Remote Purging or Wiping of Information
Provide the capability to purge or wipe information from [Organization-defined: systems or system components] [Organization-defined: mp-06.08_odp.02].
Official discussion
Remote purging or wiping of information protects information on organizational systems and system components if systems or components are obtained by unauthorized individuals. Remote purge or wipe commands require strong authentication to help mitigate the risk of unauthorized individuals purging or wiping the system, component, or device. The purge or wipe function can be implemented in a variety of ways, including by overwriting data or information multiple times or by destroying the key necessary to decrypt encrypted data.
Organization-defined parameters (3)
Assessment objectives and methods
the capability to purge or wipe information from [Organization-defined: systems or system components] [Organization-defined: mp-06.08_odp.02] is provided.
Examine
- System media protection policy
- procedures addressing media sanitization and disposal
- system design documentation
- system configuration settings and associated documentation
- authorization records
- media sanitization records
- audit records
- system security plan
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Organizational personnel with system media sanitization responsibilities
- organizational personnel with information security responsibilities
- system/network administrators
Test
- Organizational processes for purging/wiping media
- mechanisms supporting and/or implementing purge/wipe capabilities
Authoritative sources
- 32 CFR 2002 ↗
- OMB A-130 ↗
- NARA CUI ↗
- FIPS 199 ↗
- SP 800-60-1 ↗
- SP 800-60-2 ↗
- SP 800-88 ↗
- SP 800-124 ↗
- IR 8023 ↗
- NSA MEDIA ↗
Bare Metal Cyber is an independent educational publisher and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NIST. Official control requirements and interpretations remain with NIST and the responsible authorizing organization.