# NIST Updates Federal Media Sanitization Guidance

NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 highlights that a degaussed drive may be rendered inoperable without being successfully sanitized. The guidance is relevant to federal buyers, defense contractors, and IT asset disposition providers selecting equipment and processes for retiring or reusing storage media: a device’s ability to disable a drive does not by itself establish that the data was sanitized. Buyers should verify equipment compatibility with the specific media, NSA/CSS evaluation status where applicable, and Trade Agreements Act eligibility for covered purchases; physical destruction may be necessary for some assets.

- Procurement teams should validate sanitization claims against the storage media they handle rather than assume one degaussing system works across newer media types.
- For covered purchases, buyers should check TAA eligibility and, where applicable, NSA/CSS evaluation status as part of equipment evaluation.
- ITAD providers and contractors may need distinct capabilities for magnetic-media degaussing, drive destruction, and wiping assets intended for resale or redeployment.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology, Defense & Military
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** November 12, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS)

### Vendors
- Media Duplication Systems (Supplier of degaussing, drive-erasure, and physical-destruction equipment)

### Key Quotes
> They may need a degausser for magnetic media, a shredder for drives that have to be destroyed and a wiping system for assets they plan to resell or redeploy.
> — Michelle Boyce, Vice President of Marketing

### Sources
- [NIST Guidance Raises Data Erasure Risks for Federal Buyers - MyChesCo](https://www.mychesco.com/a/news/regional/nist-guidance-raises-data-erasure-risks-for-federal-buyers) - MyChesCo