NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

A U.S. federal agency that develops technology standards and guidelines, including influential cybersecurity frameworks.

What is NIST?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a physical sciences laboratory and non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST develops standards and guidelines, including widely-adopted cybersecurity frameworks.

Key NIST Cybersecurity Publications

NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF):

Five core functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover
Voluntary framework for managing cyber risk
Widely adopted across industries

NIST SP 800 Series:

SP 800-53: Security and Privacy Controls
SP 800-171: Protecting CUI
SP 800-37: Risk Management Framework
SP 800-63: Digital Identity Guidelines

NIST CSF Core Functions

Identify: Asset management, risk assessment
Protect: Access control, training, data security
Detect: Monitoring, detection processes
Respond: Response planning, communications
Recover: Recovery planning, improvements

Why NIST Matters

Provides authoritative guidance
Enables consistent security approaches
Supports regulatory compliance
Facilitates communication about risk
Offers implementation flexibility

NIST Compliance Requirements

FISMA (federal agencies)
DFARS (defense contractors)
Many state regulations reference NIST
Increasingly required in contracts