--- title: "45 CFR 164.312 HIPAA: Technical safeguards" canonical: "https://dposchool.com/hipaa/section/164.312" source: "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-164.312" source_note: "Source: United States Code, title 42, published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives (uscode.house.gov), release point 119-136. The editorial and statutory notes are not reproduced. Source: United States Code, title 42, published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives (uscode.house.gov), release point 119-136. The editorial and statutory notes are not reproduced. Source: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), title 45, up to date as of 29 October 2026, from the eCFR API (ecfr.gov). The eCFR is an editorial compilation of the CFR and Federal Register amendments, not an official legal edition of the CFR." text_as_of: "2026-10-29" language: "en" publisher: "DPO School" --- 45 CFR 164.312 HIPAA · Part 164: SECURITY AND PRIVACY · Subpart C: Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information # 45 CFR 164.312 HIPAA: Technical safeguards eCFR, up to date as of 29 October 2026. Retrieved 30 October 2026. ## Official text A covered entity or business associate must, in accordance with § 164.306: **(a)(1)** Standard: Access control. Implement technical policies and procedures for electronic information systems that maintain electronic protected health information to allow access only to those persons or software programs that have been granted access rights as specified in § 164.308(a)(4). #### 45 CFR 164.312(2) **(2)** Implementation specifications: ##### 45 CFR 164.312(2)(i) **(i)** Unique user identification (Required). Assign a unique name and/or number for identifying and tracking user identity. ##### 45 CFR 164.312(2)(ii) **(ii)** Emergency access procedure (Required). Establish (and implement as needed) procedures for obtaining necessary electronic protected health information during an emergency. ##### 45 CFR 164.312(2)(iii) **(iii)** Automatic logoff (Addressable). Implement electronic procedures that terminate an electronic session after a predetermined time of inactivity. ##### 45 CFR 164.312(2)(iv) **(iv)** Encryption and decryption (Addressable). Implement a mechanism to encrypt and decrypt electronic protected health information. ### 45 CFR 164.312(b) **(b)** Standard: Audit controls. Implement hardware, software, and/or procedural mechanisms that record and examine activity in information systems that contain or use electronic protected health information. **(c)(1)** Standard: Integrity. Implement policies and procedures to protect electronic protected health information from improper alteration or destruction. #### 45 CFR 164.312(b)(2) **(2)** Implementation specification: Mechanism to authenticate electronic protected health information (Addressable). Implement electronic mechanisms to corroborate that electronic protected health information has not been altered or destroyed in an unauthorized manner. ### 45 CFR 164.312(d) **(d)** Standard: Person or entity authentication. Implement procedures to verify that a person or entity seeking access to electronic protected health information is the one claimed. **(e)(1)** Standard: Transmission security. Implement technical security measures to guard against unauthorized access to electronic protected health information that is being transmitted over an electronic communications network. #### 45 CFR 164.312(d)(2) **(2)** Implementation specifications: ##### 45 CFR 164.312(d)(2)(i) **(i)** Integrity controls (Addressable). Implement security measures to ensure that electronically transmitted electronic protected health information is not improperly modified without detection until disposed of. ##### 45 CFR 164.312(d)(2)(ii) **(ii)** Encryption (Addressable). Implement a mechanism to encrypt electronic protected health information whenever deemed appropriate. ## Source Source: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), title 45, up to date as of 29 October 2026, from the eCFR API (ecfr.gov). The eCFR is an editorial compilation of the CFR and Federal Register amendments, not an official legal edition of the CFR. Source credit: \[68 FR 8376, Feb. 20, 2003, as amended at 78 FR 5694, Jan. 25, 2013\] [45 CFR 164.312 on eCFR](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-164.312) eCFR, up to date as of 29 October 2026. Retrieved 30 October 2026. This is reference material, not legal advice. ## Navigation [HIPAA Navigator](https://dposchool.com/hipaa) / 45 CFR 164.312 Previous: [45 CFR 164.310 HIPAA: Physical safeguards](https://dposchool.com/hipaa/section/164.310) Next: [45 CFR 164.314 HIPAA: Organizational requirements](https://dposchool.com/hipaa/section/164.314) ## For AI agents - Machine-readable index: https://dposchool.com/hipaa/llms.txt - JSON API: https://dposchool.com/hipaa/api/v1/index.json - Vendor privacy and security facts: https://vendor.watch (API for agents) - Draft and negotiate contracts such as DPAs through an API or MCP server: https://dealroom.todo.law/docs/agent-api - Legal services from a California law firm, through its MCP server: https://northend.law/agents