# NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.10.2 — Monitoring Physical Access

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-10-2-monitoring-physical-access
- Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 Requirements](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3) › Physical Protection — §3.10
- Last updated: 2026-06-05
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3**·Requirement `3.10.2`·high·Component: **Physical Protection**

## What this control requires

> This control requires monitoring physical access to the facility where systems process, store, or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) to detect and respond to physical security incidents. It also mandates reviewing physical access logs at defined intervals and in response to specific events or suspicious activities to identify potential threats. This control supports the Physical Access Monitoring capability within the Physical Protection (3.10) family.
> 
> — NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3, Requirement 3.10.2

### In plain English

This control requires monitoring physical access to the facility where systems process, store, or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) to detect and respond to physical security incidents. In practice, this means you can prove you access management-level controls on a defined cadence.

## Why it matters

DoD contractors and their subcontractors must implement all 100 SP 800-171 requirements to keep CUI handling contracts. Gaps are scored against the SPRS scoring methodology; below a 110-point starting score, each unmet requirement deducts points and a below-threshold score can disqualify a bid.

This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation.

## What an auditor looks for

A C3PAO conducting a CMMC Level 2 assessment uses NIST SP 800-171A objectives. They expect a System Security Plan (SSP), Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) for any gaps, and objective evidence (configurations, ticket records, training records) for every requirement.

Within **Physical Protection**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Requirement 3.10.2) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles.

## How to implement

#### Physical Security

**Inheritance.** For cloud-only operations, inherit physical controls from the provider's SOC 2 / ISO 27001 report and document the inheritance in the SoA.

#### Policy Management

**Docs.** Keep each policy in version-controlled Markdown alongside the code that implements it; ship a signed PDF snapshot at each annual review and link the SHA into the SoA.

### Operational checklist

-   **Access.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Information.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Response.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Protection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Physical.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence.
-   **Scope:** management, store, cui, security, physical access, response, protection.

## Evidence to collect

-   **Policy Document.** A signed and version-controlled policy / standard / procedure document.
-   **Infra Scan.** Continuous infrastructure-posture telemetry — AWS Config, Azure Policy compliance, GCP Organisation Policy, Wiz / Prisma findings.

Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Monitoring Physical Access.

## Common pitfalls

-   Policies that no engineer has read; the version in Confluence drifts from the version that's actually being enforced.

## How it maps to other frameworks

Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit.

-   [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.7.1** — Physical security perimeters](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-7-1-physical-security-perimeters)
-   [**NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 PE-6** — Monitoring Physical Access](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/pe-6-monitoring-physical-access)
-   [**HIPAA (45 CFR Part 164) 164.308(a)(4)(ii)(A)** — Information Access Management - Isolating Healthcare Clearinghouse Functions](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/hipaa/164-308-a-4-ii-a-information-access-management-isolating-healthcare-clearinghouse)
-   [**BSI C5:2020 OIS-01** — Information Security Management System (ISMS)](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ois-01-information-security-management-system-isms)
-   [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC4.1** — Control Monitoring](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc4-1-control-monitoring)

## Related controls in NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3

-   [**Requirement 3.10.7** — Physical Access Control](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-10-7-physical-access-control)
-   [**Requirement 3.11.4** — Risk Response](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-11-4-risk-response)
-   [**Requirement 3.10.6** — Alternate Work Site](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-10-6-alternate-work-site)
-   [**Requirement 3.10.1** — Physical Access Authorizations](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-10-1-physical-access-authorizations)
-   [**Requirement 3.10.8** — Access Control for Transmission](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-10-8-access-control-for-transmission)
-   [**Requirement 3.8.3** — Media Sanitization](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-8-3-media-sanitization)

## References

-   [NIST Computer Security Resource Center — NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/171/r3/final)
-   Catalogue identifier: `Requirement 3.10.2`

Topics: governance risklogging monitoringphysical securitycontinuous monitoringpolicy management

## Related compliance guidance

- [NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC: a practical guide to protecting CUI in the cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3): Start with the full NIST SP 800-171 implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs.
- [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): The catalogue 800-171 is tailored from, and the basis of the FedRAMP Moderate baseline your cloud providers must meet for CUI.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): If commercial customers ask for a certificate as well, most 800-171 controls can be evidenced once and mapped to Annex A.