NIST 800-53 REV 5 • ACCESS CONTROL
AC-4(25) — Data Sanitization
When transferring information between different security domains, sanitize data to minimize {{ insert: param, ac-04.25_odp.01 }} in accordance with {{ insert: param, ac-04.25_odp.02 }}.
CMMC Practice Mapping
No direct CMMC mapping
NIST 800-171 Mapping
No direct NIST 800-171 mapping
Related Controls
Supplemental Guidance
Data sanitization is the process of irreversibly removing or destroying data stored on a memory device (e.g., hard drives, flash memory/solid state drives, mobile devices, CDs, and DVDs) or in hard copy form.
Practitioner Notes
Data sanitization at flow boundaries strips or replaces potentially harmful content while preserving the useful data. The goal is to make data safe for the destination environment.
Example 1: Deploy a CDR (Content Disarm & Reconstruct) solution like Votiro or Deep Secure on your file transfer boundary. It deconstructs every incoming file to its base elements, strips all active content (macros, scripts, embedded objects), and rebuilds a clean version.
Example 2: For images entering your environment, use a tool that strips EXIF metadata (GPS coordinates, camera serial numbers, timestamps) and re-encodes the image to a clean format. The ImageMagick command convert input.jpg -strip output.jpg removes all metadata profiles from the image.