NIST 800-53 REV 5 • MEDIA PROTECTION
MP-1 — Policy and Procedures
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Supplemental Guidance
Media protection policy and procedures address the controls in the MP family that are implemented within systems and organizations. The risk management strategy is an important factor in establishing such policies and procedures. Policies and procedures contribute to security and privacy assurance. Therefore, it is important that security and privacy programs collaborate on the development of media protection policy and procedures. Security and privacy program policies and procedures at the organization level are preferable, in general, and may obviate the need for mission- or system-specific policies and procedures. The policy can be included as part of the general security and privacy policy or be represented by multiple policies that reflect the complex nature of organizations. Procedures can be established for security and privacy programs, for mission or business processes, and for systems, if needed. Procedures describe how the policies or controls are implemented and can be directed at the individual or role that is the object of the procedure. Procedures can be documented in system security and privacy plans or in one or more separate documents. Events that may precipitate an update to media protection policy and procedures include assessment or audit findings, security incidents or breaches, or changes in applicable laws, executive orders, directives, regulations, policies, standards, and guidelines. Simply restating controls does not constitute an organizational policy or procedure.
Practitioner Notes
Your media protection policy defines how your organization handles, stores, transports, and destroys media that contains data — hard drives, USB drives, backup tapes, printed documents, and anything else that holds information.
Example 1: Write a Media Protection Policy that covers all media types used in your organization. Include sections on labeling requirements, storage locations, transport procedures, and destruction methods. Store it in your SharePoint policy library and review it annually.
Example 2: Use a policy management platform or a simple Word document with version tracking. Distribute the policy to all employees and require signed acknowledgments. Include media handling in your annual security awareness training to reinforce the requirements.