Media Storage is the first requirement in the Media Protection (03.08) family, and it addresses the physical security of media that hold Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). System media covers both digital media, such as flash drives, external drives, magnetic tapes, and discs, and non-digital media, such as paper and microfilm. Media Storage (03.08.01) requires two things: physically control system media that contain CUI, and securely store it. Per the NIST discussion, physically controlling media includes inventories, check-out and return procedures, and maintaining accountability, and secure storage includes a locked drawer, desk, or cabinet or a controlled media library.
A common difficulty with this requirement is remembering digital media but forgetting paper, or storing media in a way that is not actually controlled. A stack of printouts containing CUI on a desk, or a box of backup tapes in an unlocked closet, both fail this requirement. Media that contains CUI has to be both accounted for and physically secured.
Where things stand for companies facing the transition from NIST 800-171 R2 to R3:
The following is reproduced verbatim from NIST 800-171 R3, requirement 03.08.01 Media Storage. Only the formatting has been adjusted for readability. This is a single statement with no lettered parts:
The source control is MP-04 from NIST 800-53. There are no Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs). Per the NIST discussion, system media include digital media such as flash drives, tapes, and discs and non-digital media such as paper and microfilm, and controlled areas provide physical and procedural controls to meet the requirements for protecting information and systems. You can read the requirement directly at NIST 800-171 R3, 03.08.01 (p. 44).
None (0). Requirement 03.08.01 contains no bracketed assignment, so there is no organization-defined value to select and nothing for the DoD to specify. The requirement applies as written.
Your System Security Plan (SSP) narrative for 03.08.01 therefore records how the requirement is implemented rather than a parameter you chose.
NIST 800-171A R3 breaks 03.08.01 into two (2) determination statements, and it has no Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs). These AOs are:
The two (2) objectives are physical control and secure storage, each of which must hold for both digital and non-digital media. The full guidance on assessment methods and objects, is in NIST 800-171A R3, 03.08.01 (p. 57).
Examine: physical protection policy and procedures; media protection policy and procedures; procedures for media storage; access control policy and procedures; system media; system security plan.
Interview: personnel with system media protection and storage responsibilities; personnel with information security responsibilities.
Test: processes for storing information media; mechanisms for supporting or implementing secure media storage/media protection.
03.08.01 maps from NIST 800-171 R2 requirement 3.8.1 (protect, that is physically control and securely store, system media containing CUI, both paper and digital):
Mapped against the two (2) AOs, both (2) are direct (minimal effort), with no net-new AOs and none with no mapping. This is a clean carry-forward. The concept, the coverage of both paper and digital media, and the source control (MP-04) are unchanged. If you satisfied R2 3.8.1, you are satisfying 03.08.01, provided both media types are physically controlled and securely stored.
Source Control in NIST 800-53 R5:
Secure Controls Framework (SCF) Crosswalk
Organizations running a single control set across multiple frameworks can satisfy 03.08.01 through the following SCF controls:
The crosswalks from NIST 800-171 R3 and NIST 800-171A R3 to the SCF are available at no cost through the SCF Set Theory Relationship Mapping (STRM): https://securecontrolsframework.com/start-here/set-theory-relationship-mapping-strm. The STRM also carries the relationship type for each mapping (Equal, Subset Of, Intersects With), which tells you whether an SCF control fully satisfies the requirement or only part of it. Mapping above taken from SCF 2026.3.
The following are issues teams may encounter rather than certainties. They are about coverage and real control, each of which needs documented evidence of due diligence and due care such as policies, standards, procedures, and configuration screenshots:
Reasonable objective evidence for an assessment is often subjective. The following examples of evidence to address NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.01 are sourced from the SCF Evidence Request List (ERL), available at https://securecontrolsframework.com/free-content/scf-download. These ERL artifacts are mapped to NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.01 through SCF controls. They establish a starting point for discussions on what an organization needs to have for evidence of due diligence and due care to withstand external scrutiny by an assessor or regulator.
Alongside these, keep the System Security Plan (SSP) narrative for 03.08.01.
With both AOs mapping directly, 03.08.01 is a light lift if media handling is mature. A realistic sequence:
How many assessment objectives does NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.01 have? NIST 800-171A R3 breaks 03.08.01 into two (2) assessment objectives. An assessor works through each one separately, so each needs its own evidence.
Which NIST 800-53 R5 control does NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.01 come from? MP-04.
How many Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs) does NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.01 have? None (0). The requirement contains no bracketed assignment, so there is no organization-defined value and nothing for the DoD to specify.
Where does NIST 800-171 R3 03.08.01 sit in the NIST 800-171 R3 Kill Chain? Phase 8, Segmented Network Architecture. The Kill Chain is a phased model for sequencing R3 implementation, and it assigns this requirement to that phase.
03.08.01 Media Storage physically controls and securely stores system media, both digital and non-digital, that contain CUI. It maps directly from R2 3.8.1, so there is no net-new work. The recurring problem is forgetting paper or storing media without real control. Account for both media types, control them with inventories and procedures, and store them securely.
Authoritative sources:
Authoritative sources:
This guide reproduces U.S. Government text from NIST 800-171 R3 and NIST 800-171A R3. It is educational, not legal or assessment advice. Last reviewed: 2026-09-22.
