NIST CSF
Cybersecurity Framework
What is NIST CSF?
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a voluntary framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. Originally created for critical infrastructure, it has been widely adopted across all sectors.
The framework provides a common language for understanding, managing, and expressing cybersecurity risk to internal and external stakeholders. It can be used to identify and prioritize actions for reducing cybersecurity risk, and it is a tool for aligning policy, business, and technological approaches to managing that risk.
The Five Core Functions
Identify
Develop organizational understanding of cybersecurity risk
Protect
Implement appropriate safeguards for critical services
Detect
Identify the occurrence of cybersecurity events
Respond
Take action regarding detected cybersecurity incidents
Recover
Maintain plans for resilience and restoration
When Does NIST CSF Apply?
Federal Contractors
Organizations working with U.S. federal agencies, especially those handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
Critical Infrastructure
Organizations in sectors like energy, healthcare, financial services, and telecommunications.
Any Organization
Any organization seeking a comprehensive, risk-based approach to cybersecurity management.
Benefits of NIST CSF
- Provides a common language for discussing cybersecurity
- Risk-based approach allows prioritization of resources
- Flexible and adaptable to any organization size or sector
- Maps to other frameworks (ISO 27001, HIPAA, SOC 2)
- Helps communicate cybersecurity posture to stakeholders
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