The NIST Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, often referred to as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework or simply the Cybersecurity Framework, is a set of guidelines, best practices, and standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help organizations manage and improve their cybersecurity risk management processes.
The three main components of the NIST Framework are
The Core
The Implementation Tiers
The Framework Profile
The Core is the central part of the framework and is organized into five functions:
Identify
Understand and document the assets, business processes, and cybersecurity risks, to develop a strong foundation for managing cybersecurity.
Protect:
Implement safeguards to ensure the delivery of critical infrastructure services. This includes measures such as access controls, training, and secure architectures.
Detect:
Develop and implement capabilities to detect cybersecurity events in a timely manner. This involves continuous monitoring and incident detection.
Respond
Develop and implement an effective response to detected cybersecurity incident. This includes containment, eradication, and recovery activities.
Recover
: Develop and implement strategies to restore any capabilities or services that were impaired due to a cybersecurity incident. This includes lessons learned and improvements to prevent future incidents.
Implementation Tiers:
The Implementation Tiers help organizations characterize their approach to managing cybersecurity risk. There are four tiers ranging from Partial (Tier 1) to Adaptive (Tier 4), indicating the maturity and sophistication of an organization's cybersecurity risk management practices.
:
The Framework Profile is a customized set of functions, categories, and subcategories that an organization selects and tailors based on its specific business needs, risk tolerance, and available resources. It helps organizations align their cybersecurity efforts with their overall business objectives.
Organizations can use the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to:
Improve their understanding of cybersecurity risks.
Establish or enhance a cybersecurity program.
Communicate and prioritize cybersecurity activities.
Better manage and reduce cybersecurity risks.
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is flexible and scalable, making it applicable to organizations of various sizes and sectors. It provides a common language for organizations to discuss and prioritize cybersecurity efforts and facilitates collaboration between different stakeholders