What evidence do auditors commonly ask for on MP-3 Media Marking?

SSP MP-3 statement describing the markings applied to media (distribution limits, handling caveats) and any exemptions; Sample of marked media or labels showing required distribution and handling markings; Media inventory and labelling scheme by data classification; Sanitisation and destruction certificates from approved disposal vendor; Removable media usage policy and DLP enforcement evidence; Media transport chain of custody logs.

What is the most common gap auditors find on MP-3?

Media classification labels missing on physical assets

FedRAMP High (NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 baseline) · MP - Media Protection

`MP-3` Media Marking

Mark system media indicating distribution limitations, handling caveats, security markings.

Source: FedRAMP High (NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 baseline), MP-3. The statement above is our statement of the clause, read from the published text and cited so you can check it against the official text, not the instrument verbatim. Open FedRAMP High (NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 baseline) in the compliance library.

A FedRAMP baseline is a subset of NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, enhancements included.

artefacts

held by a system

at each review

moderate

to go live

Cloud console / configuration management

where the evidence lives

teal = a system already holds it · olive = produced at each review. To go live: easy when half or more of the artefacts are already held by a system, moderate from a quarter to a half, hard below a quarter.

These are the artefacts auditors commonly ask for on this requirement, our guidance rather than text from the standard. Your assessor decides what is sufficient in your context, and asks for samples across the period when a report covers one.

system holds itEvidence a system already holds

Removable media usage policy and DLP enforcement evidence · Cloud console / configuration management
Media transport chain of custody logs · SIEM / log platform
Encryption configuration for portable storage devices · Endpoint management (MDM / EDR)

periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review

Sample of marked media or labels showing required distribution and handling markings · Data governance / DLP tooling
Sanitisation and destruction certificates from approved disposal vendor · Vendor register / contract repository

governing documentDocuments that govern the control

SSP MP-3 statement describing the markings applied to media (distribution limits, handling caveats) and any exemptions · Policy repository / GRC workspace
Media inventory and labelling scheme by data classification · Policy repository / GRC workspace

First move

Start with the 3 of 7 artefacts that already live in a system (Cloud console / configuration management); keep the periodic reviews but log each one as a dated record with a named reviewer.

Common gaps auditors find

Media classification labels missing on physical assets
Decommissioned drives stored unencrypted while awaiting destruction
USB usage permitted without DLP inspection or encryption
Destruction certificates lack serial numbers tying back to inventory

Do this for your whole sheet

Paste the rows you run your controls from and get this mapping for every control at once, with the periodic-review ones flagged and a first move per row. No account for the first run.

Build my evidence sheet

MP-2 Media Access · MP-4 Media Storage