Audit Protection
Protect audit information and audit logging tools from unauthorized access, modification, and deletion.
What gets scored, the objectives
AU.L2-3.3.8 is met only when every one of these 6 objectives, from NIST SP 800-171A, is satisfied. A single missed objective makes the whole requirement not met.
- a.audit information is protected from unauthorized access
- b.audit information is protected from unauthorized modification
- c.audit information is protected from unauthorized deletion
- d.audit logging tools are protected from unauthorized access
- e.audit logging tools are protected from unauthorized modification
- f.audit logging tools are protected from unauthorized deletion
How this is assessed
NIST SP 800-171A defines three assessment methods. For AU.L2-3.3.8, whoever assesses it, including your own team in a self assessment, uses these:
Audit and accountability policy; access control policy and procedures; procedures addressing protection of audit information; system security plan; system design documentation; system configuration settings and associated documentation, system audit logs and records; audit logging tools; other relevant documents or records
Personnel with audit and accountability responsibilities; personnel with information security responsibilities; system or network administrators; system developers
Mechanisms implementing audit information protection
What it means, in context
Audit information includes all information (e.g., audit records, audit log settings, and audit reports) needed to successfully audit system activity. Audit logging tools are those programs and devices used to conduct audit and logging activities . This requirement focuses on the technical protection of audit information and limits the ability to access and execute audit logging tools to authorized individuals. Physical protection of audit information is addressed by media protection and physical and environmental protection requirements.
Audit information is a critical record of what events occurred, the source of the events, and the outcomes of the events; this information needs to be protected . The logs must be properly secured so that the information may not be modified or deleted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Only those with a legitimate need-to-know should have access to audit information, whether that information is being accessed directly from logs or from audit tools. Example Y ou are in charge of IT operations in a company that handles CUI. Your responsibilities include protecting audit information and audit logging tools. You protect the information from modification or deletion by having audit log events forwarded to a central server and by restricting the local audit logs to only be viewable by the system administrators [a,b,c]. Only a small group of security professionals can view the data on the central audit server [b,c,d]. For an additional layer of protection, you back up the server daily and encrypt the backups before sending them to a cloud data repository [a,b,c].
What passing evidence looks like
Proof ordinary users cannot read, change, or delete logs and their tooling: the access model note plus permissions screenshots.
Common ways contractors fail AU.L2-3.3.8
- !In M365 and Google the platform protects log storage and only privileged roles can search or purge, that inheritance is a legitimate answer, state it and show who holds those roles.
The step by step walkthrough for Microsoft 365 GCC High, Google Workspace, and on premises setups, plus the exact evidence to capture, lives inside the CMMC Level 2 plan.
Prove AU.L2-3.3.8, and the other 109
The Level 2 workspace walks your team through all 110 requirements at the objective level, drafts your SSP section by section from your own record for your team to read and accept, gives a prime or your own internal auditor a read only seat on the same record, and a credentialed officer reviews every step.
Book a free advisory callNo credit card, and Level 1 and Level 2 are both open, so sign up for the level your contracts call for. Self assessed and self attested: you score yourself in SPRS on a three year cycle and your senior official affirms it every year. As of September 3, 2026 a class deviation directs contracting officers to remove third party assessment from contracts. The program rule still provides for it, so your solicitation sets the track. Your team builds the same evidence either way. DFARS 252.204-7012 is unaffected, and the NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 baseline is unchanged.
AU.L2-3.3.8 questions, answered
How many points is CMMC requirement AU.L2-3.3.8 worth?+
AU.L2-3.3.8 is worth 1 point in the CMMC Level 2 score under 32 CFR 170.24. If it is not met, you lose 1 from your total of 110.
Can AU.L2-3.3.8 be placed on a POA&M?+
Yes. A gap on AU.L2-3.3.8 can be deferred to a Plan of Action and Milestones, provided your overall score is 88 or better and the item closes within 180 days.
What family does AU.L2-3.3.8 belong to?+
AU.L2-3.3.8 is in the Audit & Accountability (AU) family, one of the 14 families of NIST SP 800-171 that make up CMMC Level 2.
- NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 3.3.8