In the event of a failure of the IDPS function, the IDPS must save diagnostic information, log system messages, and load the most current security policies, rules, and signatures when restarted.

Failure in a secure state address safety or security in accordance with the mission needs of the organization. Failure to a secure state helps prevent a loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability in the event of a failure of the information system or a component of the system. Preserving state information helps to facilitate the restart of the IDPS application and a return to operation with minimum disruption. This requirement applies to a failure of the IDPS function rather than the device or operating system as a whole which is addressed in the Network Device Management SRG. Since it is usually not possible to test this capability in a production environment, systems should either be validated in a testing environment or prior to installation. This requirement is usually a function of the design of the IDPS component. Compliance can be verified by acceptance/validation processes or vendor attestation.