What evidence do auditors commonly ask for on MP-5 Media Transport?

System media protection policy; Procedures addressing media storage; Physical and environmental protection policy and procedures; Access control policy and procedures; Authorized personnel list; System media.

What is the most common gap auditors find on MP-5?

No log or chain of custody documents media transported outside controlled areas, so accountability cannot be shown

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 · MP - Media Protection

`MP-5` Media Transport

a. Protect and control organization-defined types of system media during transport outside of controlled areas using organization-defined controls; b. Maintain accountability for system media during transport outside of controlled areas; c. Document activities associated with the transport of system media; and d. Restrict the activities associated with the transport of system media to authorized personnel.

Source: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, MP-5. 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 NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 in the compliance library.

Base controls and their enhancements. Which apply follows the baseline you are assessed against (for example FedRAMP Moderate or High, or the low, moderate and high baselines of SP 800-53B). Text in square brackets is a parameter your organisation sets.

artefacts

held by a system

at each review

hard

to go live

Policy repository / GRC workspace

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

none for this control

periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review

Test of Organizational processes for storing information media; mechanisms supporting and/or implementing media storage/media protection · Data governance / DLP tooling

governing documentDocuments that govern the control

System media protection policy · Policy repository / GRC workspace
Procedures addressing media storage · Policy repository / GRC workspace
Physical and environmental protection policy and procedures · Policy repository / GRC workspace
Access control policy and procedures · Policy repository / GRC workspace
Authorized personnel list · Policy repository / GRC workspace
System media · Policy repository / GRC workspace
Designated controlled areas · Policy repository / GRC workspace
System security plan · Policy repository / GRC workspace

First move

No system holds this evidence for you: it is people and documents. Reminders and routing to the owner still save time. Put the document under version control with an owner and review date, and log each review as a record with reviewer and date.

Common gaps auditors find

No log or chain of custody documents media transported outside controlled areas, so accountability cannot be shown
Media transport is performed by staff and couriers who are not on any authorized list, and transport protections are undefined

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-4(2) Media Storage | Automated Restricted Access · MP-5(3) Media Transport | Custodians