---
title: "NIST 800-171 3.6.2 (IR.L2-3.6.2): Incident Reporting"
description: "NIST SP 800-171 3.6.2 Incident Reporting: 5 SPRS points, not allowed on a CMMC POA&M. The text, what assessors check and the evidence."
url: https://policycortex.com/nist-800-171/incident-response/3.6.2
sealed: 2026-11-11
amended: 2026-11-11
register: nist-800-171/incident-response/3.6.2
records: 7
digest: sha3:5de780099a220c32b8f7bffcbc5a109e6aae4680c3bcb3ddfc791a8de718fb0d
---

# NIST 800-171 3.6.2 (IR.L2-3.6.2): Incident Reporting

NIST 800-171 / Incident Response / 3.6.2

"Track, document, and report incidents to designated officials and/or authorities both internal and external to the organization." ([NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2, requirement 3.6.2](https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-171r2))

CMMC Level 2 practice IR.L2-3.6.2.

## What 3.6.2 means in practice

Every incident is tracked from first report to closure, documented, and reported to the people who must know, inside the organization and outside it. Outside reporting can carry a deadline: under DFARS 252.204-7012, for example, cyber incidents are reported to the DoD within 72 hours of discovery.

## SPRS points and the CMMC POA&M

- **CMMC Level 2 practice**: IR.L2-3.6.2
- **SPRS points**: 5 points. When it is not met, the DoD Assessment Methodology subtracts 5 from the score of 110.
- **CMMC POA&M**: Not allowed. It is worth 5 points, and 32 CFR 170.21(a)(2)(ii) admits only requirements worth 1 point, with one exception: 3.13.11 when encryption is used but not FIPS validated.

Sources: [NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Methodology, version 1.2.1 (June 24, 2020), Annex A](https://www.acq.osd.mil/asda/dpc/cp/cyber/docs/safeguarding/NIST-SP-800-171-Assessment-Methodology-Version-1.2.1-6.24.2020.pdf); [32 CFR 170.21, Plan of Action and Milestones requirements](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-32/section-170.21).

## What an assessor checks for 3.6.2

NIST SP 800-171A gives 6 determination statements for 3.6.2, each found satisfied or other than satisfied. Determine if:

- 3.6.2[a] incidents are tracked.
- 3.6.2[b] incidents are documented.
- 3.6.2[c] authorities to whom incidents are to be reported are identified.
- 3.6.2[d] organizational officials to whom incidents are to be reported are identified.
- 3.6.2[e] identified authorities are notified of incidents.
- 3.6.2[f] identified organizational officials are notified of incidents.

[NIST SP 800-171A (June 2018), assessment objectives for 3.6.2](https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-171A)

## Evidence that shows 3.6.2 is met

- The incident tracking system and a sample of incident records.
- The list of internal officials and external authorities to notify, with timelines.
- Copies or records of the notifications made.

## How PolicyCortex gathers the evidence

No PolicyCortex collector reads the evidence for 3.6.2. Your team provides the evidence listed above.

## Related pages

- **Calculator**: [SPRS score calculator: mark 3.6.2 and the other 109 requirements and see the score.](https://policycortex.com/sprs-score-calculator#family-IR)
- **Sample package**: [Sample package: an SSP, a POA&M and an evidence chain the product generated from demonstration data.](https://policycortex.com/sample-package)
- **Family**: [All 3 Incident Response requirements (3.6).](https://policycortex.com/nist-800-171/incident-response)
- **Previous**: [3.6.1: Incident Handling](https://policycortex.com/nist-800-171/incident-response/3.6.1)
- **Next**: [3.6.3: Incident Response Testing](https://policycortex.com/nist-800-171/incident-response/3.6.3)
- **All requirements**: [All 110 NIST SP 800-171 requirements, by family.](https://policycortex.com/nist-800-171)

Meet the requirement once. Keep the evidence current. [Request Access](https://app.policycortex.com/auth?mode=request-access) · [Book a call](https://policycortex.com/book)

## Register colophon

| Seq | Label | SHA3-256 | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| REC 0000 | REQUIREMENT | 06ffe11d71ce | 1a1cb692768f |
| REC 0001 | MEANING | 527517585268 | 06ffe11d71ce |
| REC 0002 | POINTS AND POA&M | 8af003e07119 | 527517585268 |
| REC 0003 | ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES | 97e29a2ceca9 | 8af003e07119 |
| REC 0004 | EVIDENCE | 8b7d7264c80e | 97e29a2ceca9 |
| REC 0005 | COLLECTORS | 080d1fb9bfbf | 8b7d7264c80e |
| REC 0006 | RELATED | 5de780099a22 | 080d1fb9bfbf |

Head sha3:5de780099a220c32b8f7bffcbc5a109e6aae4680c3bcb3ddfc791a8de718fb0d. Each digest is SHA3-256 over the previous digest, the register key, the record label, and the record copy; a second party can recompute it from this document.