Loss, possible compromise or unauthorized disclosure.
32 C.F.R. § 2001.48
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) General. Any person who has knowledge that classified information has been or may have been lost, possibly compromised or disclosed to an unauthorized person(s) shall immediately report the circumstances to an official designated for this purpose.
(b) Cases involving information originated by a foreign government or another U.S. government agency. Whenever a loss or possible unauthorized disclosure involves the classified information or interests of a foreign government agency, or another U.S. government agency, the department or agency in which the compromise occurred shall advise the other government agency or foreign government of the circumstances and findings that affect their information or interests. However, foreign governments normally will not be advised of any security system vulnerabilities that contributed to the compromise.
(c) Inquiry/investigation and corrective actions. Agency heads shall establish appropriate procedures to conduct an inquiry/investigation of a loss, possible compromise or unauthorized disclosure of classified information, in order to implement appropriate corrective actions, which may include disciplinary sanctions, and to ascertain the degree of damage to national security.
(d) Reports to ISOO. In accordance with section 5.5(e)(2) of the Order, agency heads or senior agency officials shall notify the Director of ISOO when a violation occurs under paragraphs 5.5(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Order that:
(1) Is reported to oversight committees in the Legislative branch;
(2) May attract significant public attention;
(3) Involves large amounts of classified information; or
(4) Reveals a potential systemic weakness in classification, safeguarding, or declassification policy or practices.
(e) Department of Justice and legal counsel coordination. Agency heads shall establish procedures to ensure coordination with legal counsel whenever a formal action, beyond a reprimand, is contemplated against any person believed responsible for the unauthorized disclosure of classified information. Whenever a criminal violation appears to have occurred and a criminal prosecution is contemplated, agency heads shall use established procedures to ensure coordination with:
(1) The Department of Justice, and
(2) The legal counsel of the agency where the individual responsible is assigned or employed.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-32.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026