Media Inspection
Check media containing diagnostic and test programs for malicious code before the media are used in organizational systems.
What gets scored, the objectives
MA.L2-3.7.4 is met only when every one of these 1 objectives, from NIST SP 800-171A, is satisfied. A single missed objective makes the whole requirement not met.
- a.media containing diagnostic and test programs are checked for malicious code before being used in organizational systems that process, store, or transmit CUI
How this is assessed
NIST SP 800-171A defines three assessment methods. For MA.L2-3.7.4, whoever assesses it, including your own team in a self assessment, uses these:
System maintenance policy; procedures addressing system maintenance tools; system maintenance tools and associated documentation; maintenance records; system security plan; other relevant documents or records
Personnel with system maintenance responsibilities; personnel with information security responsibilities
Organizational process for inspecting media for malicious code; mechanisms supporting or implementing inspection of media used for maintenance
What it means, in context
If, upon inspection of media containing maintenance diagnostic and test programs, organizations determine that the media contain malicious code, the incident is handled consistent with incident handling policies and procedures.
As part of troubleshooting , a vendor may provide a diagnostic application to install on a system. As this is executable code , there is a chance that the file is corrupt or infected with malicious code. Implement procedures to scan any files prior to installation. The same level of scrutiny must be made as with any file a staff member may download. This requirement, MA.L2-3.7.4, extends both SI.L2-3.14.2 and SI.L2-3.14.4. SI.L2-3.14.2 and SI.L2-3.14.4 require the implementation and updating of mechanisms to protect systems from malicious code, and MA.L2-3.7.4 extends this requirement to diagnostic and testing tools. Example You have recently been experiencing performance issues on one of your servers. After troubleshooting for much of the morning , the vendor has asked to install a utility that will collect more data from the server. The file is stored on the vendor’s FTP server. The support technician gives you the FTP site so you can anonymously download the utility file. You also ask him for a hash of the utility file. As you download the file to your local computer , you realize it is compressed. You unzip the file and perform a manual antivirus scan, which reports no issues [a]. To verify the utility file has not been altered, you run an application to see that the hash from the vendor matches.
What passing evidence looks like
The check step for maintenance media: diagnostic USBs and vendor tools are scanned for malware before touching CUI systems, written in the procedure with the scanning tool named.
Common ways contractors fail MA.L2-3.7.4
- !Three point requirement, one objective, easy to satisfy and easy to have never thought about. Add the scan step to the maintenance procedure and show Defender or your AV can scan removable media on insert.
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 MA.L2-3.7.4, 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.
MA.L2-3.7.4 questions, answered
How many points is CMMC requirement MA.L2-3.7.4 worth?+
MA.L2-3.7.4 is worth 3 points in the CMMC Level 2 score under 32 CFR 170.24. If it is not met, you lose 3 from your total of 110.
Can MA.L2-3.7.4 be placed on a POA&M?+
No. MA.L2-3.7.4 must be fully met before you can file. It cannot be deferred to a POA&M, so it is a gate on your assessment.
What family does MA.L2-3.7.4 belong to?+
MA.L2-3.7.4 is in the Maintenance (MA) family, one of the 14 families of NIST SP 800-171 that make up CMMC Level 2.
- NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 3.7.4