NIST Framework

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (National Institute of Standards and Technology) is a comprehensive set of guidelines aimed at helping organizations manage and mitigate cybersecurity risks. It is designed to be flexible and scalable, allowing businesses of all sizes to enhance their security posture.

The framework is organized into five core functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. These functions provide a structured approach to understanding and managing cybersecurity risks.

Identify focuses on understanding the organization's environment to manage cybersecurity risk. This includes asset management, governance, and risk assessment.

Protect involves developing and implementing safeguards to limit or contain the impact of a potential cybersecurity event. This includes access control, awareness training, data security, and maintenance.

Detect emphasizes the timely discovery of cybersecurity events through continuous monitoring and detection processes. This includes monitoring anomalies, security events, and ongoing security assessments.

Respond guides the actions taken after a cybersecurity incident has been detected. This involves response planning, communication, analysis, and mitigation to reduce the impact of incidents.

Recover helps organizations plan for resilience and the restoration of any capabilities or services impaired due to a cybersecurity event. This includes recovery planning, improvements, and communication to restore normal operations.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is widely recognized for its effectiveness in enhancing cybersecurity practices, promoting risk management, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. It is particularly valuable for organizations in critical infrastructure sectors but is applicable to any organization seeking to bolster its cybersecurity efforts.