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Overview

NIST 800-53 is a cybersecurity standard and compliance framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), outlining a set of security controls for federal information systems, designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data by mitigating risks from various threats through specific controls like access management, awareness training, and incident response procedures.

Risk-based approach​

The framework encourages organizations to assess their risks and implement controls based on their specific needs and environment. Primarily used by US government agencies to ensure compliance with security regulations.

Continuously updated​

NIST regularly updates the standard to reflect evolving cybersecurity threats and technologies.

Control Categories​

The NIST 800-53 standard organizes its security controls into the following categories:

  • Access Control
  • Awareness and Training
  • Audit and Accountability
  • Assessment, Authorization and Monitoring
  • Configuration Management
  • Contingency Planning
  • Identification and Authentication
  • Incident Response
  • Maintenance
  • Media Protection
  • Physical and Environmental Protection
  • Planning
  • Program Management
  • Personnel Security
  • PII Processing and Transparency
  • Risk Assessment
  • System and Services Acquisition
  • System and Communications Protection
  • System and Information Integrity
  • Supply Chain Risk Management