NIST Cybersecurity Framework PR.IP-6: Data Destruction Policy
Data destruction is a critical control that ensures sensitive information is permanently removed when no longer needed, reducing breach risk and supporting regulatory compliance. PR.IP-6 requires organizations to establish and enforce policies that govern how data is securely destroyed across systems, media, and storage. Without a documented destruction process, you risk retaining sensitive data beyond its retention period and exposing yourself to compliance violations.
What this means
PR.IP-6 requires your organization to develop and maintain a formal data destruction policy that defines when, how, and by whom data should be destroyed. This control ensures that data destruction activities are performed consistently, securely, and according to defined standards—whether through permanent deletion, degaussing, physical destruction, or other approved methods. The policy must cover all data types, storage media, and systems across your organization, with clear accountability and verification mechanisms to confirm destruction has occurred.
How to comply
- 1.Develop a comprehensive data destruction policy that specifies approved destruction methods (secure deletion, physical destruction, degaussing, encryption key destruction) and applicable criteria
- 2.Define data retention schedules that classify data by sensitivity level and specify destruction timelines based on regulatory, legal, and business requirements
- 3.Establish clear procedures for authorizing data destruction requests, including required approvals and documentation before destruction occurs
- 4.Implement secure destruction processes for all storage media including hard drives, SSDs, removable media, printed documents, and cloud-based systems
- 5.Create a destruction log or register documenting what data was destroyed, when, how, by whom, and confirmation of successful destruction
- 6.Conduct periodic audits of data destruction activities to verify compliance with the policy and identify any data retained beyond approved retention periods
- 7.Train relevant personnel on data destruction procedures and maintain records of this training
Evidence auditors look for
- Documented data destruction policy signed by management
- Data retention schedule mapping data types to destruction timeframes
- Evidence of approved destruction methods (certificates of destruction, degausser verification reports, hard drive destruction receipts)
- Destruction log with authorization approvals and confirmation records
- Audit reports verifying destruction policy compliance
- Training records for personnel involved in data destruction activities
- Contracts with third-party destruction vendors including service level agreements
Frequently asked questions
When will FAQs be available?
The FAQ for this control is currently being prepared.
GRCWatch automates data destruction scheduling based on your retention policies and generates destruction logs with audit trails, eliminating manual tracking and ensuring consistent evidence collection for PR.IP-6 compliance.
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