What this control covers
Classify information considering PII based on confidentiality, integrity and availability needs. Implementation: Implement classification scheme and apply to PII types. Justification: Ensures appropriate handling controls per sensitivity.
Why it matters
Encryption and key management make data unreadable to attackers and unintelligible under data-breach safe-harbour clauses — a meaningful regulatory benefit.
How to implement
AWS
Default to SSE-KMS with customer-managed keys for S3/EBS/RDS/Secrets Manager. Use S3 Bucket Keys and S3 Block Public Access at the account level, and turn on S3 Object Lock on backup buckets for ransomware resilience.
Azure
Store secrets in Key Vault (HSM-backed where required) with soft-delete + purge protection; use customer-managed keys for Storage, SQL, and Azure Disk Encryption. Tag PII data via Microsoft Purview.
GCP
Use Cloud KMS with customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) for BigQuery, GCS, and Compute. Sensitive Data Protection (DLP API) inspects/de-identifies PII at scale.
Google Workspace
Enable client-side encryption for Drive/Docs and turn on Drive Labels + DLP rules to prevent external sharing of regulated data classes.
On-premises
Maintain a policy library with a documented review cadence (annual minimum); store in your GRC tool with attestation tracking. Map each policy to controls so an audit pull cites the exact policy clause.
Evidence to collect
policy_document— A signed, version-controlled policy stating leadership intent and the named owner.
Signed policies, procedures, and registers document the safeguard. Focus: Classification of information.
Quick checklist
- Implement — Classification Of Information
- Ensure — Classification Of Information
- Classify — Classification Of Information
Related articles on this site
- NIST 800-171 3.4.8 Apply deny-by-exception (blacklisting) policy to prevent the use of unauthorized software or deny-all, permit-by-exception (whitelisting) policy to allow the execution of authorized software.
- NIST 800-171 3.8.6 Implement cryptographic mechanisms to protect the confidentiality of CUI stored on digital media during transport unless otherwise protected by alternative physical safeguards.
- CMMC 2.0 CM.3.069 Apply deny-by-exception (blacklisting) policy to prevent the use of unauthorized software or deny-all, permit-by-exception (whitelisting) policy to allow the execution of authorized software.
- Ensure Lambda functions have resource-based policy set as Public