3.10.1Limit physical access
Doors, racks, and rooms holding CUI systems are access controlled.
The requirement, verbatim
NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 · 3.10.1Limit physical access to organizational systems, equipment, and the respective operating environments to authorized individuals.
NIST's discussion
This requirement applies to employees, individuals with permanent physical access authorization credentials, and visitors. Authorized individuals have credentials that include badges, identification cards, and smart cards. Organizations determine the strength of authorization credentials needed consistent with applicable laws, directives, policies, regulations, standards, procedures, and guidelines. This requirement applies only to areas within facilities that have not been designated as publicly accessible.
Limiting physical access to equipment may include placing equipment in locked rooms or other secured areas and allowing access to authorized individuals only, and placing equipment in locations that can be monitored by organizational personnel. Computing devices, external disk drives, networking devices, monitors, printers, copiers, scanners, facsimile machines, and audio devices are examples of equipment.
NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, discussion under 3.10.1. Whitespace normalised; wording unchanged.
Assessment objectives
An assessor decides each of these separately. The requirement is met only when every objective is.
- [a] authorized individuals allowed physical access are identified
- [b] physical access to organizational systems is limited to authorized individuals
- [c] physical access to equipment is limited to authorized individuals
- [d] physical access to operating environments is limited to authorized individuals
NIST SP 800-171A, determination statements for 3.10.1.
For assessors: examine, interview, test
NIST SP 800-171A names what an assessor may examine, whom they may interview, and what they may test for this requirement. Assessors select from these lists; they are not a checklist of everything you must produce.
Examine
- Physical and environmental protection policy
- procedures addressing physical access authorizations
- system security plan
- authorized personnel access list
- authorization credentials
- physical access list reviews
- physical access termination records and associated documentation
- other relevant documents or records
Interview
- Personnel with physical access authorization responsibilities
- personnel with physical access to system facility
- personnel with information security responsibilities
Test
- Organizational processes for physical access authorizations
- mechanisms supporting or implementing physical access authorizations
NIST SP 800-171A, potential assessment methods and objects for 3.10.1.
Evidence
No evidence examples are published for this requirement yet. The objectives above are what an assessor checks; evidence is whatever shows each one is true in your environment, dated and kept with your system security plan.
Scoring weight
Worth 5 points. Not meeting this requirement subtracts 5 from your 110-point SPRS score. These are the requirements with the largest effect on your posture.
DoD NIST SP 800-171 Assessment Methodology v1.2.1 weighting, as carried in the Bedrock scoring table. The score starts at 110 and subtracts the weight of every requirement not met.
In Rev. 3
Rev. 2 is what your contract requires today. A standing DoD class deviation keeps Rev. 2 in force; NIST has published Rev. 3, but it is not adopted for contracts. In Rev. 3 this requirement is reworded: 03.10.01 Physical Access Authorizations. It gains organization-defined parameters.
See the Rev. 2 and Rev. 3 wording word by word, or start with the status page.
Related requirements
Where this page's facts come from
- Requirement text
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/004_reference_requirements.sql#Requirement.basicRequirement@rev2
- Discussion
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/004_reference_requirements.sql#Requirement.discussion@rev2
- Practice name
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/004_reference_requirements.sql#Requirement.title@rev2 (CMMC Assessment Guide practice name)
- Objectives
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/005_reference_objectives.sql#AssessmentObjective.description@rev2
- Examine, interview, test
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/005_reference_objectives.sql#AssessmentObjective.description@rev2 ({examineGuidance, interviewGuidance, testGuidance})
- Level
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:migrations/021_fix_level1_requirements.sql#Requirement.cmmcLevel@rev2
- Weight
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:internal/cmmc/requirement_values.go#requirementValues (DoD AM v1.2.1 / eMASS L2 template v3.8)
- Rev. 3 mapping
- bedrock-cmmc-api@89b8e8e:docs/reference/nist-800-171-rev3/normalized/r2_r3_transition_map.json#r2_to_r3
- Plain-language title and summary
- editorial/CMMC Navigator.dc.html#RAW (Foxx Cyber editorial)