The NIST Cybersecurity
Framework (CSF) 2.0
National Institute of Standards and Technology
This publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.CSWP.29 February 26, 2024
NIST CSWP 29
February 26, 2024 Abstract
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 provides guidance to industry, government agencies, and other organizations to manage cybersecurity risks. It offers a taxonomy of high level cybersecurity outcomes that can be used by any organization — regardless of its size, sector, or maturity — to better understand, assess, prioritize, and communicate its cybersecurity efforts. The CSF does not prescribe how outcomes should be achieved. Rather, it links to online resources that provide additional guidance on practices and controls that could be used to achieve those outcomes. This document describes CSF 2.0, its components, and some of the many ways that it can be used.
Keywords
cybersecurity; Cybersecurity Framework (CSF); cybersecurity risk governance; cybersecurity risk management; enterprise risk management; Profiles; Tiers.
Audience
Individuals responsible for developing and leading cybersecurity programs are the primary audience for the CSF. The CSF can also be used by others involved in managing risk — including executives, boards of directors, acquisition professionals, technology professionals, risk managers, lawyers, human resources specialists, and cybersecurity and risk management auditors — to guide their cybersecurity-related decisions. Additionally, the CSF can be useful to those making and influencing policy (e.g., associations, professional organizations, regulators) who set and communicate priorities for cybersecurity risk management.
Supplemental Content
NIST will continue to build and host additional resources to help organizations implement the CSF, including Quick Start Guides and Community Profiles. All resources are made publicly available on the NIST CSF website. Suggestions for additional resources to reference on the NIST CSF website can always be shared with NIST at cyberframework@nist.gov.
Note to Readers
Unless otherwise noted, documents cited, referenced, or excerpted in this publication are not wholly incorporated into this publication.
Before version 2.0, the Cybersecurity Framework was called the “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.” This title is not used for CSF 2.0.
i
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Acknowledgments
The CSF is the result of a multi-year collaborative effort across industry, academia, and government in the United States and around the world. NIST acknowledges and thanks all of those who have contributed to this revised CSF. Information on the CSF development process can be found on the NIST CSF website. Lessons learned about the use of the CSF can always be shared with NIST at cyberframework@nist.gov.
ii
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Table of Contents
1. Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Overview.......................................................................................1 2. Introduction to the CSF Core...........................................................................................................3 3. Introduction to CSF Profiles and Tiers .............................................................................................6
4. Introduction to Online Resources That Supplement the CSF ............................................................9 5. Improving Cybersecurity Risk Communication and Integration ......................................................10
Appendix A. CSF Core.......................................................................................................................15 Appendix B. CSF Tiers.......................................................................................................................24 Appendix C. Glossary .......................................................................................................................26
List of Figures
Fig. 1. CSF Core structure....................................................................................................................3 Fig. 2. CSF Functions...........................................................................................................................5 Fig. 3. Steps for creating and using a CSF Organizational Profile...........................................................6 Fig. 4. CSF Tiers for cybersecurity risk governance and management ...................................................8 Fig. 5. Using the CSF to improve risk management communication....................................................10 Fig. 6. Cybersecurity and privacy risk relationship .............................................................................13
iii
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Preface
The Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 is designed to help organizations of all sizes and sectors — including industry, government, academia, and nonprofit — to manage and reduce their cybersecurity risks. It is useful regardless of the maturity level and technical sophistication of an organization’s cybersecurity programs. Nevertheless, the CSF does not embrace a one-size-fits all approach. Each organization has both common and unique risks, as well as varying risk appetites and tolerances, specific missions, and objectives to achieve those missions. By necessity, the way organizations implement the CSF will vary.
Ideally, the CSF will be used to address cybersecurity risks alongside other risks of the enterprise, including those that are financial, privacy, supply chain, reputational, technological, or physical in nature.
The CSF describes desired outcomes that are intended to be understood by a broad audience, including executives, managers, and practitioners, regardless of their cybersecurity expertise. Because these outcomes are sector-, country-, and technology-neutral, they provide an organization with the flexibility needed to address their unique risks, technologies, and mission considerations. Outcomes are mapped directly to a list of potential security controls for immediate consideration to mitigate cybersecurity risks.
Although not prescriptive, the CSF assists its users in learning about and selecting specific outcomes. Suggestions for how specific outcomes may be achieved are provided in an expanding suite of online resources that complement the CSF, including a series of Quick Start Guides (QSGs). Also, various tools offer downloadable formats to help organizations that choose to automate some of their processes. The QSGs suggest initial ways to use the CSF and invite the reader to explore the CSF and related resources in greater depth. Available through the NIST CSF website, the CSF and these supplementary resources from NIST and others should be viewed as a “CSF portfolio” to help manage and reduce risks. Regardless of how it is applied, the CSF prompts its users to consider their cybersecurity posture in context and then adapt the CSF to their specific needs.
Building on previous versions, CSF 2.0 contains new features that highlight the importance of governance and supply chains. Special attention is paid to the QSGs to ensure that the CSF is relevant and readily accessible by smaller organizations as well as their larger counterparts. NIST now provides Implementation Examples and Informative References, which are available online and updated regularly. Creating current and target state Organizational Profiles helps organizations to compare where they are versus where they want or need to be and allows them to implement and assess security controls more quickly.
Cybersecurity risks are expanding constantly, and managing those risks must be a continuous process. This is true regardless of whether an organization is just beginning to confront its cybersecurity challenges or whether it has been active for many years with a sophisticated, well-resourced cybersecurity team. The CSF is designed to be valuable for any type of organization and is expected to provide appropriate guidance over a long time.
iv
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
1. Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Overview
This document is version 2.0 of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (Framework or CSF). It includes the following components:
• CSF Core, the nucleus of the CSF, which is a taxonomy of high-level cybersecurity outcomes that can help any organization manage its cybersecurity risks. The CSF Core components are a hierarchy of Functions, Categories, and Subcategories that detail each outcome. These outcomes can be understood by a broad audience, including executives, managers, and practitioners, regardless of their cybersecurity expertise. Because the outcomes are sector-, country-, and technology-neutral, they provide an organization with the flexibility needed to address its unique risks, technologies, and mission considerations.
• CSF Organizational Profiles, which are a mechanism for describing an organization’s current and/or target cybersecurity posture in terms of the CSF Core’s outcomes.
• CSF Tiers, which can be applied to CSF Organizational Profiles to characterize the rigor of an organization’s cybersecurity risk governance and management practices. Tiers can also provide context for how an organization views cybersecurity risks and the processes in place to manage those risks.
This document describes what desirable outcomes an organization can aspire to achieve. It does not prescribe outcomes nor how they may be achieved. Descriptions of how an organization can achieve those outcomes are provided in a suite of online resources that complement the CSF and are available through the NIST CSF website. These resources offer additional guidance on practices and controls that could be used to achieve outcomes and are intended to help an organization understand, adopt, and use the CSF. They include:
• Informative References that point to sources of guidance on each outcome from existing global standards, guidelines, frameworks, regulations, policies, etc.
• Implementation Examples that illustrate potential ways to achieve each outcome
• Quick-Start Guides that give actionable guidance on using the CSF and its online resources, including transitioning from previous CSF versions to version 2.0
• Community Profiles and Organizational Profile Templates that help an organization put the CSF into practice and set priorities for managing cybersecurity risks
An organization can use the CSF Core, Profiles, and Tiers with the supplementary resources to understand, assess, prioritize, and communicate cybersecurity risks.
• Understand and Assess: Describe the current or target cybersecurity posture of part or all of an organization, determine gaps, and assess progress toward addressing those gaps.
1
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
• Prioritize: Identify, organize, and prioritize actions for managing cybersecurity risks that align with the organization’s mission, legal and regulatory requirements, and risk management and governance expectations.
• Communicate: Provide a common language for communicating inside and outside the organization about cybersecurity risks, capabilities, needs, and expectations.
The CSF is designed to be used by organizations of all sizes and sectors, including industry, government, academia, and nonprofit organizations, regardless of the maturity level of their cybersecurity programs. The CSF is a foundational resource that may be adopted voluntarily and through governmental policies and mandates. The CSF’s taxonomy and referenced standards, guidelines, and practices are not country-specific, and previous versions of the CSF have been leveraged successfully by many governments and other organizations both inside and outside of the United States.
The CSF should be used in conjunction with other resources (e.g., frameworks, standards, guidelines, leading practices) to better manage cybersecurity risks and inform the overall management of information and communications technology (ICT) risks at an enterprise level. The CSF is a flexible framework that is intended to be tailored for use by all organizations regardless of size. Organizations will continue to have unique risks — including different threats and vulnerabilities — and risk tolerances, as well as unique mission objectives and requirements. Thus, organizations’ approaches to managing risks and their implementations of the CSF will vary.
The remainder of this document is structured as follows:
• Section 2 explains the basics of the CSF Core: Functions, Categories, and Subcategories. • Section 3 defines the concepts of CSF Profiles and Tiers.
• Section 4 provides an overview of selected components of the CSF’s suite of online resources: Informative References, Implementation Examples, and Quick Start Guides.
• Section 5 discusses how an organization can integrate the CSF with other risk management programs.
• Appendix A is the CSF Core.
• Appendix B contains a notional illustration of the CSF Tiers.
• Appendix C is a glossary of CSF terminology.
2
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
2. Introduction to the CSF Core
Appendix A is the CSF Core — a set of cybersecurity outcomes arranged by Function, then Category, and finally Subcategory, as depicted in Fig. 1. These outcomes are not a checklist of actions to perform; specific actions taken to achieve an outcome will vary by organization and use case, as will the individual responsible for those actions. Additionally, the order and size of Functions, Categories, and Subcategories in the Core does not imply the sequence or importance of achieving them. The structure of the Core is intended to resonate most with those charged with operationalizing risk management within an organization.
Fig. 1. CSF Core structure
The CSF Core Functions — GOVERN, IDENTIFY, PROTECT, DETECT, RESPOND, and RECOVER — organize cybersecurity outcomes at their highest level.
• GOVERN (GV) — The organization’s cybersecurity risk management strategy, expectations, and policy are established, communicated, and monitored. The GOVERN Function provides outcomes to inform what an organization may do to achieve and prioritize the outcomes of the other five Functions in the context of its mission and stakeholder expectations. Governance activities are critical for incorporating cybersecurity into an organization’s broader enterprise risk management (ERM) strategy. GOVERN addresses an understanding of organizational context; the establishment of cybersecurity strategy and cybersecurity supply chain risk management; roles, responsibilities, and authorities; policy; and the oversight of cybersecurity strategy.
• IDENTIFY (ID) — The organization’s current cybersecurity risks are understood. Understanding the organization’s assets (e.g., data, hardware, software, systems, facilities, services, people), suppliers, and related cybersecurity risks enables an organization to prioritize its efforts consistent with its risk management strategy and the mission needs identified under GOVERN. This Function also includes the identification of
3
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
improvement opportunities for the organization’s policies, plans, processes, procedures, and practices that support cybersecurity risk management to inform efforts under all six Functions.
• PROTECT (PR) — Safeguards to manage the organization’s cybersecurity risks are used. Once assets and risks are identified and prioritized, PROTECT supports the ability to secure those assets to prevent or lower the likelihood and impact of adverse cybersecurity events, as well as to increase the likelihood and impact of taking advantage of opportunities. Outcomes covered by this Function include identity management, authentication, and access control; awareness and training; data security; platform security (i.e., securing the hardware, software, and services of physical and virtual platforms); and the resilience of technology infrastructure.
• DETECT (DE) — Possible cybersecurity attacks and compromises are found and analyzed. DETECT enables the timely discovery and analysis of anomalies, indicators of compromise, and other potentially adverse events that may indicate that cybersecurity attacks and incidents are occurring. This Function supports successful incident response and recovery activities.
• RESPOND (RS) — Actions regarding a detected cybersecurity incident are taken. RESPOND supports the ability to contain the effects of cybersecurity incidents. Outcomes within this Function cover incident management, analysis, mitigation, reporting, and communication.
• RECOVER (RC) — Assets and operations affected by a cybersecurity incident are restored. RECOVER supports the timely restoration of normal operations to reduce the effects of cybersecurity incidents and enable appropriate communication during recovery efforts.
While many cybersecurity risk management activities focus on preventing negative events from occurring, they may also support taking advantage of positive opportunities. Actions to reduce cybersecurity risk might benefit an organization in other ways, like increasing revenue (e.g., first offering excess facility space to a commercial hosting provider for hosting their own and other organizations’ data centers, then moving a major financial system from the organization’s in-house data center to the hosting provider to reduce cybersecurity risks). |
Figure 2 shows the CSF Functions as a wheel because all of the Functions relate to one another. For example, an organization will categorize assets under IDENTIFY and take steps to secure those assets under PROTECT. Investments in planning and testing in the GOVERN and IDENTIFY Functions will support timely detection of unexpected events in the DETECT Function, as well as enabling incident response and recovery actions for cybersecurity incidents in the RESPOND and RECOVER Functions. GOVERN is in the center of the wheel because it informs how an organization will implement the other five Functions.
4
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Fig. 2. CSF Functions
The Functions should be addressed concurrently. Actions that support GOVERN, IDENTIFY, PROTECT, and DETECT should all happen continuously, and actions that support RESPOND and RECOVER should be ready at all times and happen when cybersecurity incidents occur. All Functions have vital roles related to cybersecurity incidents. GOVERN, IDENTIFY, and PROTECT outcomes help prevent and prepare for incidents, while GOVERN, DETECT, RESPOND, and RECOVER outcomes help discover and manage incidents.
Each Function is named after a verb that summarizes its contents. Each Function is divided into Categories, which are related cybersecurity outcomes that collectively comprise the Function. Subcategories further divide each Category into more specific outcomes of technical and management activities. The Subcategories are not exhaustive, but they describe detailed outcomes that support each Category.
The Functions, Categories, and Subcategories apply to all ICT used by an organization, including information technology (IT), the Internet of Things (IoT), and operational technology (OT). They also apply to all types of technology environments, including cloud, mobile, and artificial intelligence systems. The CSF Core is forward-looking and intended to apply to future changes in technologies and environments.
5
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
3. Introduction to CSF Profiles and Tiers
This section defines the concepts of CSF Profiles and Tiers.
3.1. CSF Profiles
A CSF Organizational Profile describes an organization’s current and/or target cybersecurity posture in terms of the Core’s outcomes. Organizational Profiles are used to understand, tailor, assess, prioritize, and communicate the Core’s outcomes by considering an organization’s mission objectives, stakeholder expectations, threat landscape, and requirements. An organization can then prioritize its actions to achieve specific outcomes and communicate that information to stakeholders.
Every Organizational Profile includes one or both of the following:
1. A Current Profile specifies the Core outcomes that an organization is currently achieving (or attempting to achieve) and characterizes how or to what extent each outcome is being achieved.
2. A Target Profile specifies the desired outcomes that an organization has selected and prioritized for achieving its cybersecurity risk management objectives. A Target Profile considers anticipated changes to the organization’s cybersecurity posture, such as new requirements, new technology adoption, and threat intelligence trends.
A Community Profile is a baseline of CSF outcomes that is created and published to address shared interests and goals among a number of organizations. A Community Profile is typically developed for a particular sector, subsector, technology, threat type, or other use case. An organization can use a Community Profile as the basis for its own Target Profile. Examples of Community Profiles can be found on the NIST CSF website. |
The steps shown in Fig. 3 and summarized below illustrate one way that an organization could use an Organizational Profile to help inform continuous improvement of its cybersecurity.
Fig. 3. Steps for creating and using a CSF Organizational Profile
6
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
1. Scope the Organizational Profile. Document the high-level facts and assumptions on which the Profile will be based to define its scope. An organization can have as many Organizational Profiles as desired, each with a different scope. For example, a Profile could address an entire organization or be scoped to an organization’s financial systems or to countering ransomware threats and handling ransomware incidents involving those financial systems.
2. Gather the information needed to prepare the Organizational Profile. Examples of information may include organizational policies, risk management priorities and resources, enterprise risk profiles, business impact analysis (BIA) registers, cybersecurity requirements and standards followed by the organization, practices and tools (e.g., procedures and safeguards), and work roles.
3. Create the Organizational Profile. Determine what types of information the Profile should include for the selected CSF outcomes, and document the needed information. Consider the risk implications of the Current Profile to inform Target Profile planning and prioritization. Also, consider using a Community Profile as the basis for the Target Profile.
4. Analyze the gaps between the Current and Target Profiles, and create an action plan. Conduct a gap analysis to identify and analyze the differences between the Current and Target Profiles, and develop a prioritized action plan (e.g., risk register, risk detail report, Plan of Action and Milestones [POA&M]) to address those gaps.
5. Implement the action plan, and update the Organizational Profile. Follow the action plan to address the gaps and move the organization toward the Target Profile. An action plan may have an overall deadline or be ongoing.
Given the importance of continual improvement, an organization can repeat these steps as often as needed.
There are additional uses for Organizational Profiles. For example, a Current Profile can be used to document and communicate the organization’s cybersecurity capabilities and known opportunities for improvement with external stakeholders, such as business partners or prospective customers. Also, a Target Profile can help express the organization’s cybersecurity risk management requirements and expectations to suppliers, partners, and other third parties as a target for those parties to achieve.
3.2. CSF Tiers
An organization can choose to use the Tiers to inform its Current and Target Profiles. Tiers characterize the rigor of an organization’s cybersecurity risk governance and management practices, and they provide context for how an organization views cybersecurity risks and the processes in place to manage those risks. The Tiers, as shown in Fig. 4 and notionally illustrated in Appendix B, reflect an organization’s practices for managing cybersecurity risk as Partial (Tier 1), Risk Informed (Tier 2), Repeatable (Tier 3), and Adaptive (Tier 4). The Tiers describe a progression from informal, ad hoc responses to approaches that are agile, risk-informed, and
7
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
continuously improving. Selecting Tiers helps set the overall tone for how an organization will manage its cybersecurity risks.
Fig. 4. CSF Tiers for cybersecurity risk governance and management
Tiers should complement an organization’s cybersecurity risk management methodology rather than replace it. For example, an organization can use the Tiers to communicate internally as a
benchmark for an organization-wide1
approach to managing cybersecurity risks. Progression to
higher Tiers is encouraged when risks or mandates are greater or when a cost-benefit analysis indicates a feasible and cost-effective reduction of negative cybersecurity risks.
The NIST CSF website provides additional information on using Profiles and Tiers. It includes pointers to NIST-hosted Organizational Profile templates and a repository of Community Profiles in a variety of machine-readable and human-usable formats.
1 For the purposes of this document, the terms “organization-wide” and “enterprise” have the same meaning.
8
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
4. Introduction to Online Resources That Supplement the CSF
NIST and other organizations have produced a suite of online resources that help organizations understand, adopt, and use the CSF. Since they are hosted online, these additional resources can be updated more frequently than this document, which is updated infrequently to provide stability to its users, and be available in machine-readable formats. This section provides an overview of three types of online resources: Informative References, Implementation Examples, and Quick Start Guides.
Informative References are mappings that indicate relationships between the Core and various standards, guidelines, regulations, and other content. Informative References help inform how an organization may achieve the Core’s outcomes. Informative References can be sector- or technology-specific. They may be produced by NIST or another organization. Some Informative References are narrower in scope than a Subcategory. For example, a particular control from SP 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations, may be one of many references needed to achieve the outcome described in one Subcategory. Other Informative References may be higher-level, such as a requirement from a policy that partially addresses numerous Subcategories. When using the CSF, an organization can identify the most relevant Informative References.
Implementation Examples provide notional examples of concise, action-oriented steps to help achieve the outcomes of the Subcategories. Verbs used to express Examples include share, document, develop, perform, monitor, analyze, assess, and exercise. The Examples are not a comprehensive list of all actions that could be taken by an organization to achieve an outcome, nor do they represent a baseline of required actions to address cybersecurity risks.
Quick-Start Guides (QSGs) are brief documents on specific CSF-related topics and are often tailored to specific audiences. QSGs can help an organization implement the CSF because they distill specific portions of the CSF into actionable “first steps” that an organization can consider on the path to improving their cybersecurity posture and management of associated risks. The guides are revised in their own time frames, and new guides are added as needed.
Suggestions for new Informative References for CSF 2.0 can always be shared with NIST at olir@nist.gov. Suggestions for other resources to reference on the NIST CSF website, including additional QSG topics, should be directed to cyberframework@nist.gov.
9
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
5. Improving Cybersecurity Risk Communication and Integration
The CSF’s use will vary based on an organization’s unique mission and risks. With an understanding of stakeholder expectations and risk appetite and tolerance (as outlined in GOVERN), an organization can prioritize cybersecurity activities to make informed decisions about cybersecurity expenditures and actions. An organization may choose to handle risk in one or more ways — including mitigating, transferring, avoiding, or accepting negative risks and realizing, sharing, enhancing, or accepting positive risks — depending on the potential impacts and likelihoods. Importantly, an organization can use the CSF both internally to manage its cybersecurity capabilities and externally to oversee or communicate with third parties.
Regardless of the CSF’s utilization, an organization may benefit from using the CSF as guidance to help it understand, assess, prioritize, and communicate cybersecurity risks and the actions that will manage those risks. The selected outcomes can be used to focus on and implement strategic decisions to improve cybersecurity postures and maintain continuity of mission essential functions while taking priorities and available resources into account.
5.1. Improving Risk Management Communication
The CSF provides a basis for improved communication regarding cybersecurity expectations, planning, and resources. The CSF fosters bidirectional information flow (as shown in the top half of Fig. 5) between executives who focus on the organization’s priorities and strategic direction and managers who manage specific cybersecurity risks that could affect the achievement of those priorities. The CSF also supports a similar flow (as shown in the bottom half of Fig. 5) between managers and the practitioners who implement and operate the technologies. The left side of the figure indicates the importance of practitioners sharing their updates, insights, and concerns with managers and executives.
Fig. 5. Using the CSF to improve risk management communication
10
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Preparing to create and use Organizational Profiles involves gathering information about organizational priorities, resources, and risk direction from executives. Managers then collaborate with practitioners to communicate business needs and create risk-informed Organizational Profiles. Actions to close any gaps identified between the Current and Target Profiles will be implemented by managers and practitioners and will provide key inputs into system-level plans. As the target state is achieved throughout the organization — including through controls and monitoring applied at the system level — the updated results can be shared through risk registers and progress reports. As part of ongoing assessment, managers gain insights to make adjustments that further reduce potential harms and increase potential benefits.
The GOVERN Function supports organizational risk communication with executives. Executives’ discussions involve strategy, particularly how cybersecurity-related uncertainties might affect the achievement of organizational objectives. These governance discussions support dialogue and agreement about risk management strategies (including cybersecurity supply chain risk);
roles, responsibilities, and authorities; policies; and oversight. As executives establish cybersecurity priorities and objectives based on those needs, they communicate expectations about risk appetite, accountability, and resources. Executives are also responsible for integrating cybersecurity risk management with ERM programs and lower-level risk management programs (see Sec. 5.2). The communications reflected in the top half of Fig. 5 can include considerations for ERM and the lower-level programs and, thus, inform managers and practitioners.
The overall cybersecurity objectives set by executives are informed by and cascade to managers. In a commercial entity, these may apply to a line-of-business or operating division. For government entities, these may be division- or branch-level considerations. When implementing the CSF, managers will focus on how to achieve risk targets through common services, controls, and collaboration, as expressed in the Target Profile and improved through the actions being tracked in the action plan (e.g., risk register, risk detail report, POA&M).
Practitioners focus on implementing the target state and measuring changes in operational risk to help plan, carry out, and monitor specific cybersecurity activities. As controls are implemented to manage risk at an acceptable level, practitioners provide managers and executives with the information (e.g., key performance indicators, key risk indicators) they need to understand the organization’s cybersecurity posture, make informed decisions, and maintain or adjust the risk strategy accordingly. Executives can also combine this cybersecurity risk data with information about other types of risk from across the organization. Updates to expectations and priorities are included in updated Organizational Profiles as the cycle repeats.
5.2. Improving Integration with Other Risk Management Programs
Every organization faces numerous types of ICT risk (e.g., privacy, supply chain, artificial intelligence) and may use frameworks and management tools that are specific to each risk. Some organizations integrate ICT and all other risk management efforts at a high level by using ERM, while others keep the efforts separate to ensure adequate attention on each. Small
11
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
organizations by their nature may monitor risk at the enterprise level, while larger companies may maintain separate risk management efforts integrated into the ERM.
Organizations can employ an ERM approach to balance a portfolio of risk considerations, including cybersecurity, and make informed decisions. Executives receive significant input about current and planned risk activities as they integrate governance and risk strategies with results from previous uses of the CSF. The CSF helps organizations to translate their terminology for cybersecurity and cybersecurity risk management into general risk management language that executives will understand.
NIST resources that describe the mutual relationship between cybersecurity risk management and ERM include:
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 – Enterprise Risk Management Quick-Start Guide
• NIST Interagency Report (IR) 8286, Integrating Cybersecurity and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)
• IR 8286A, Identifying and Estimating Cybersecurity Risk for Enterprise Risk Management • IR 8286B, Prioritizing Cybersecurity Risk for Enterprise Risk Management
• IR 8286C, Staging Cybersecurity Risks for Enterprise Risk Management and Governance Oversight
• IR 8286D, Using Business Impact Analysis to Inform Risk Prioritization and Response
• SP 800-221, Enterprise Impact of Information and Communications Technology Risk: Governing and Managing ICT Risk Programs Within an Enterprise Risk Portfolio
• SP 800-221A, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Risk Outcomes: Integrating ICT Risk Management Programs with the Enterprise Risk Portfolio
An organization may also find the CSF beneficial for integrating cybersecurity risk management with individual ICT risk management programs, such as:
• Cybersecurity risk management and assessment: The CSF can be integrated with established cybersecurity risk management and assessment programs, such as SP 800- 37, Risk Management Framework for Information Systems and Organizations, and SP 800-30, Guide for Conducting Risk Assessments from the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF). For an organization using the NIST RMF and its suite of publications, the CSF can be used to complement the RMF’s approach to selecting and prioritizing controls from SP 800-53, Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations.
• Privacy risks: While cybersecurity and privacy are independent disciplines, their objectives overlap in certain circumstances, as illustrated in Fig. 6.
12
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Fig. 6. Cybersecurity and privacy risk relationship
Cybersecurity risk management is essential for addressing privacy risks related to the loss of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of individuals’ data. For example, data breaches could lead to identity theft. However, privacy risks can also arise by means that are unrelated to cybersecurity incidents.
An organization processes data to achieve mission or business purposes, which can sometimes give rise to privacy events whereby individuals may experience problems as a result of the data processing. These problems can be expressed in various ways, but NIST describes them as ranging from dignity-type effects (e.g., embarrassment or stigma) to more tangible harms (e.g., discrimination, economic loss, or physical harm). The NIST Privacy Framework and Cybersecurity Framework can be used together to address the different aspects of cybersecurity and privacy risks. Additionally, NIST’s Privacy Risk Assessment Methodology (PRAM) has a catalog of example problems for use in privacy risk assessments.
• Supply chain risks: An organization can use the CSF to foster cybersecurity risk oversight and communications with stakeholders across supply chains. All types of technology rely on a complex, globally distributed, extensive, and interconnected supply chain ecosystem with geographically diverse routes and multiple levels of outsourcing. This ecosystem is composed of public- and private-sector entities (e.g., acquirers, suppliers, developers, system integrators, external system service providers, and other technology-related service providers) that interact to research, develop, design, manufacture, acquire, deliver, integrate, operate, maintain, dispose of, and otherwise utilize or manage technology products and services. These interactions are shaped and influenced by technologies, laws, policies, procedures, and practices.
Given the complex and interconnected relationships in this ecosystem, supply chain risk management (SCRM) is critical for organizations. Cybersecurity SCRM (C-SCRM) is a systematic process for managing exposure to cybersecurity risk throughout supply chains and developing appropriate response strategies, policies, processes, and procedures. The Subcategories within the CSF C-SCRM Category [GV.SC] provide a connection between outcomes that focus purely on cybersecurity and those that focus
13
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
on C-SCRM. SP 800-161r1 (Revision 1), Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Systems and Organizations, provides in-depth information on C-SCRM.
• Risks from emerging technologies: As new technologies and new applications of technology become available, new risks become clear. A contemporary example is artificial intelligence (AI), which has cybersecurity and privacy risks, as well as many other types of risk. The NIST Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) was developed to help address these risks. Treating AI risks alongside other enterprise risks (e.g., financial, cybersecurity, reputational, and privacy) will yield a more integrated outcome and organizational efficiencies. Cybersecurity and privacy risk management considerations and approaches are applicable to the design, development, deployment, evaluation, and use of AI systems. The AI RMF Core uses Functions, Categories, and Subcategories to describe AI outcomes and help manage risks related to AI.
14
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Appendix A. CSF Core
This appendix describes the Functions, Categories, and Subcategories of the CSF Core. Table 1 lists the CSF 2.0 Core Function and Category names and unique alphabetic identifiers. Each Function name in the table is linked to its portion of the appendix. The order of Functions, Categories, and Subcategories of the Core is not alphabetical; it is intended to resonate most with those charged with operationalizing risk management within an organization. The numbering of the Subcategories is intentionally not sequential; gaps in numbering indicate CSF 1.1 Subcategories that were relocated in CSF 2.0.
Table 1. CSF 2.0 Core Function and Category names and identifiers
Function | Category | Category Identifier |
Govern (GV) | Organizational Context | GV.OC |
Risk Management Strategy | GV.RM | |
Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities | GV.RR | |
Policy | GV.PO | |
Oversight | GV.OV | |
Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management | GV.SC | |
Identify (ID) | Asset Management | ID.AM |
Risk Assessment | ID.RA | |
Improvement | ID.IM | |
Protect (PR) | Identity Management, Authentication, and Access Control | PR.AA |
Awareness and Training | PR.AT | |
Data Security | PR.DS | |
Platform Security | PR.PS | |
Technology Infrastructure Resilience | PR.IR | |
Detect (DE) | Continuous Monitoring | DE.CM |
Adverse Event Analysis | DE.AE | |
Respond (RS) | Incident Management | RS.MA |
Incident Analysis | RS.AN | |
Incident Response Reporting and Communication | RS.CO | |
Incident Mitigation | RS.MI | |
Recover (RC) | Incident Recovery Plan Execution | RC.RP |
Incident Recovery Communication | RC.CO |
The CSF Core, Informative References, and Implementation Examples are available on the CSF 2.0 website and through the CSF 2.0 Reference Tool, which allows users to explore them and export them in human- and machine-readable formats. The CSF 2.0 Core is also available in a legacy format similar to that of CSF 1.1.
15
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
GOVERN (GV): The organization’s cybersecurity risk management strategy, expectations, and policy are established, communicated, and monitored
• Organizational Context (GV.OC): The circumstances — mission, stakeholder expectations, dependencies, and legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements — surrounding the organization’s cybersecurity risk management decisions are understood
o GV.OC-01: The organizational mission is understood and informs cybersecurity risk management
o GV.OC-02: Internal and external stakeholders are understood, and their needs and expectations regarding cybersecurity risk management are understood and considered
o GV.OC-03: Legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements regarding cybersecurity — including privacy and civil liberties obligations — are understood and managed
o GV.OC-04: Critical objectives, capabilities, and services that external stakeholders depend on or expect from the organization are understood and communicated
o GV.OC-05: Outcomes, capabilities, and services that the organization depends on are understood and communicated
• Risk Management Strategy (GV.RM): The organization’s priorities, constraints, risk tolerance and appetite statements, and assumptions are established, communicated, and used to support operational risk decisions
o GV.RM-01: Risk management objectives are established and agreed to by organizational stakeholders
o GV.RM-02: Risk appetite and risk tolerance statements are established, communicated, and maintained
o GV.RM-03: Cybersecurity risk management activities and outcomes are included in enterprise risk management processes
o GV.RM-04: Strategic direction that describes appropriate risk response options is established and communicated
o GV.RM-05: Lines of communication across the organization are established for cybersecurity risks, including risks from suppliers and other third parties
o GV.RM-06: A standardized method for calculating, documenting, categorizing, and prioritizing cybersecurity risks is established and communicated
o GV.RM-07: Strategic opportunities (i.e., positive risks) are characterized and are included in organizational cybersecurity risk discussions
16
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
• Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities (GV.RR): Cybersecurity roles, responsibilities, and authorities to foster accountability, performance assessment, and continuous improvement are established and communicated
o GV.RR-01: Organizational leadership is responsible and accountable for cybersecurity risk and fosters a culture that is risk-aware, ethical, and continually improving
o GV.RR-02: Roles, responsibilities, and authorities related to cybersecurity risk management are established, communicated, understood, and enforced
o GV.RR-03: Adequate resources are allocated commensurate with the cybersecurity risk strategy, roles, responsibilities, and policies
o GV.RR-04: Cybersecurity is included in human resources practices
• Policy (GV.PO): Organizational cybersecurity policy is established, communicated, and enforced
o GV.PO-01: Policy for managing cybersecurity risks is established based on organizational context, cybersecurity strategy, and priorities and is communicated and enforced
o GV.PO-02: Policy for managing cybersecurity risks is reviewed, updated, communicated, and enforced to reflect changes in requirements, threats, technology, and organizational mission
• Oversight (GV.OV): Results of organization-wide cybersecurity risk management activities and performance are used to inform, improve, and adjust the risk management strategy
o GV.OV-01: Cybersecurity risk management strategy outcomes are reviewed to inform and adjust strategy and direction
o GV.OV-02: The cybersecurity risk management strategy is reviewed and adjusted to ensure coverage of organizational requirements and risks
o GV.OV-03: Organizational cybersecurity risk management performance is evaluated and reviewed for adjustments needed
• Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management (GV.SC): Cyber supply chain risk management processes are identified, established, managed, monitored, and improved by organizational stakeholders
o GV.SC-01: A cybersecurity supply chain risk management program, strategy, objectives, policies, and processes are established and agreed to by organizational stakeholders
o GV.SC-02: Cybersecurity roles and responsibilities for suppliers, customers, and partners are established, communicated, and coordinated internally and externally
o GV.SC-03: Cybersecurity supply chain risk management is integrated into cybersecurity and enterprise risk management, risk assessment, and improvement processes
o GV.SC-04: Suppliers are known and prioritized by criticality
17
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
o GV.SC-05: Requirements to address cybersecurity risks in supply chains are established, prioritized, and integrated into contracts and other types of agreements with suppliers and other relevant third parties
o GV.SC-06: Planning and due diligence are performed to reduce risks before entering into formal supplier or other third-party relationships
o GV.SC-07: The risks posed by a supplier, their products and services, and other third parties are understood, recorded, prioritized, assessed, responded to, and monitored over the course of the relationship
o GV.SC-08: Relevant suppliers and other third parties are included in incident planning, response, and recovery activities
o GV.SC-09: Supply chain security practices are integrated into cybersecurity and enterprise risk management programs, and their performance is monitored throughout the technology product and service life cycle
o GV.SC-10: Cybersecurity supply chain risk management plans include provisions for activities that occur after the conclusion of a partnership or service agreement
IDENTIFY (ID): The organization’s current cybersecurity risks are understood
• Asset Management (ID.AM): Assets (e.g., data, hardware, software, systems, facilities, services, people) that enable the organization to achieve business purposes are identified and managed consistent with their relative importance to organizational objectives and the organization’s risk strategy
o ID.AM-01: Inventories of hardware managed by the organization are maintained
o ID.AM-02: Inventories of software, services, and systems managed by the organization are maintained
o ID.AM-03: Representations of the organization’s authorized network communication and internal and external network data flows are maintained
o ID.AM-04: Inventories of services provided by suppliers are maintained
o ID.AM-05: Assets are prioritized based on classification, criticality, resources, and impact on the mission
o ID.AM-07: Inventories of data and corresponding metadata for designated data types are maintained
o ID.AM-08: Systems, hardware, software, services, and data are managed throughout their life cycles
• Risk Assessment (ID.RA): The cybersecurity risk to the organization, assets, and individuals is understood by the organization
o ID.RA-01: Vulnerabilities in assets are identified, validated, and recorded
18
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
o ID.RA-02: Cyber threat intelligence is received from information sharing forums and sources
o ID.RA-03: Internal and external threats to the organization are identified and recorded
o ID.RA-04: Potential impacts and likelihoods of threats exploiting vulnerabilities are identified and recorded
o ID.RA-05: Threats, vulnerabilities, likelihoods, and impacts are used to understand inherent risk and inform risk response prioritization
o ID.RA-06: Risk responses are chosen, prioritized, planned, tracked, and communicated
o ID.RA-07: Changes and exceptions are managed, assessed for risk impact, recorded, and tracked
o ID.RA-08: Processes for receiving, analyzing, and responding to vulnerability disclosures are established
o ID.RA-09: The authenticity and integrity of hardware and software are assessed prior to acquisition and use
o ID.RA-10: Critical suppliers are assessed prior to acquisition
• Improvement (ID.IM): Improvements to organizational cybersecurity risk management processes, procedures and activities are identified across all CSF Functions
o ID.IM-01: Improvements are identified from evaluations
o ID.IM-02: Improvements are identified from security tests and exercises, including those done in coordination with suppliers and relevant third parties
o ID.IM-03: Improvements are identified from execution of operational processes, procedures, and activities
o ID.IM-04: Incident response plans and other cybersecurity plans that affect operations are established, communicated, maintained, and improved
PROTECT (PR): Safeguards to manage the organization’s cybersecurity risks are used
• Identity Management, Authentication, and Access Control (PR.AA): Access to physical and logical assets is limited to authorized users, services, and hardware and managed commensurate with the assessed risk of unauthorized access
o PR.AA-01: Identities and credentials for authorized users, services, and hardware are managed by the organization
o PR.AA-02: Identities are proofed and bound to credentials based on the context of interactions
o PR.AA-03: Users, services, and hardware are authenticated
o PR.AA-04: Identity assertions are protected, conveyed, and verified
19
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
o PR.AA-05: Access permissions, entitlements, and authorizations are defined in a policy, managed, enforced, and reviewed, and incorporate the principles of least privilege and separation of duties
o PR.AA-06: Physical access to assets is managed, monitored, and enforced commensurate with risk
• Awareness and Training (PR.AT): The organization’s personnel are provided with cybersecurity awareness and training so that they can perform their cybersecurity-related tasks
o PR.AT-01: Personnel are provided with awareness and training so that they possess the knowledge and skills to perform general tasks with cybersecurity risks in mind
o PR.AT-02: Individuals in specialized roles are provided with awareness and training so that they possess the knowledge and skills to perform relevant tasks with cybersecurity risks in mind
• Data Security (PR.DS): Data are managed consistent with the organization’s risk strategy to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information
o PR.DS-01: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-at-rest are protected o PR.DS-02: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-in-transit are protected o PR.DS-10: The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data-in-use are protected o PR.DS-11: Backups of data are created, protected, maintained, and tested
• Platform Security (PR.PS): The hardware, software (e.g., firmware, operating systems, applications), and services of physical and virtual platforms are managed consistent with the organization’s risk strategy to protect their confidentiality, integrity, and availability
o PR.PS-01: Configuration management practices are established and applied o PR.PS-02: Software is maintained, replaced, and removed commensurate with risk o PR.PS-03: Hardware is maintained, replaced, and removed commensurate with risk o PR.PS-04: Log records are generated and made available for continuous monitoring o PR.PS-05: Installation and execution of unauthorized software are prevented
o PR.PS-06: Secure software development practices are integrated, and their performance is monitored throughout the software development life cycle
• Technology Infrastructure Resilience (PR.IR): Security architectures are managed with the organization’s risk strategy to protect asset confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and organizational resilience
o PR.IR-01: Networks and environments are protected from unauthorized logical access and usage
20
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
o PR.IR-02: The organization’s technology assets are protected from environmental threats
o PR.IR-03: Mechanisms are implemented to achieve resilience requirements in normal and adverse situations
o PR.IR-04: Adequate resource capacity to ensure availability is maintained
DETECT (DE): Possible cybersecurity attacks and compromises are found and analyzed
• Continuous Monitoring (DE.CM): Assets are monitored to find anomalies, indicators of compromise, and other potentially adverse events
o DE.CM-01: Networks and network services are monitored to find potentially adverse events
o DE.CM-02: The physical environment is monitored to find potentially adverse events
o DE.CM-03: Personnel activity and technology usage are monitored to find potentially adverse events
o DE.CM-06: External service provider activities and services are monitored to find potentially adverse events
o DE.CM-09: Computing hardware and software, runtime environments, and their data are monitored to find potentially adverse events
• Adverse Event Analysis (DE.AE): Anomalies, indicators of compromise, and other potentially adverse events are analyzed to characterize the events and detect cybersecurity incidents
o DE.AE-02: Potentially adverse events are analyzed to better understand associated activities
o DE.AE-03: Information is correlated from multiple sources
o DE.AE-04: The estimated impact and scope of adverse events are understood o DE.AE-06: Information on adverse events is provided to authorized staff and tools
o DE.AE-07: Cyber threat intelligence and other contextual information are integrated into the analysis
o DE.AE-08: Incidents are declared when adverse events meet the defined incident criteria
21
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
RESPOND (RS): Actions regarding a detected cybersecurity incident are taken
• Incident Management (RS.MA): Responses to detected cybersecurity incidents are managed
o RS.MA-01: The incident response plan is executed in coordination with relevant third parties once an incident is declared
o RS.MA-02: Incident reports are triaged and validated
o RS.MA-03: Incidents are categorized and prioritized
o RS.MA-04: Incidents are escalated or elevated as needed
o RS.MA-05: The criteria for initiating incident recovery are applied
• Incident Analysis (RS.AN): Investigations are conducted to ensure effective response and support forensics and recovery activities
o RS.AN-03: Analysis is performed to establish what has taken place during an incident and the root cause of the incident
o RS.AN-06: Actions performed during an investigation are recorded, and the records’ integrity and provenance are preserved
o RS.AN-07: Incident data and metadata are collected, and their integrity and provenance are preserved
o RS.AN-08: An incident’s magnitude is estimated and validated
• Incident Response Reporting and Communication (RS.CO): Response activities are coordinated with internal and external stakeholders as required by laws, regulations, or policies
o RS.CO-02: Internal and external stakeholders are notified of incidents o RS.CO-03: Information is shared with designated internal and external stakeholders
• Incident Mitigation (RS.MI): Activities are performed to prevent expansion of an event and mitigate its effects
o RS.MI-01: Incidents are contained
o RS.MI-02: Incidents are eradicated
RECOVER (RC): Assets and operations affected by a cybersecurity incident are restored
• Incident Recovery Plan Execution (RC.RP): Restoration activities are performed to ensure operational availability of systems and services affected by cybersecurity incidents
o RC.RP-01: The recovery portion of the incident response plan is executed once initiated from the incident response process
22
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
o RC.RP-02: Recovery actions are selected, scoped, prioritized, and performed
o RC.RP-03: The integrity of backups and other restoration assets is verified before using them for restoration
o RC.RP-04: Critical mission functions and cybersecurity risk management are considered to establish post-incident operational norms
o RC.RP-05: The integrity of restored assets is verified, systems and services are restored, and normal operating status is confirmed
o RC.RP-06: The end of incident recovery is declared based on criteria, and incident related documentation is completed
• Incident Recovery Communication (RC.CO): Restoration activities are coordinated with internal and external parties
o RC.CO-03: Recovery activities and progress in restoring operational capabilities are communicated to designated internal and external stakeholders
o RC.CO-04: Public updates on incident recovery are shared using approved methods and messaging
23
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Appendix B. CSF Tiers
Table 2 contains a notional illustration of the CSF Tiers discussed in Sec. 3. The Tiers characterize the rigor of an organization’s cybersecurity risk governance practices (GOVERN) and cybersecurity risk management practices (IDENTIFY, PROTECT, DETECT, RESPOND, and RECOVER).
Table 2. Notional Illustration of the CSF Tiers
Tier | Cybersecurity Risk Governance | Cybersecurity Risk Management |
Tier 1: Partial | Application of the organizational cybersecurity risk strategy is managed in an ad hoc manner. Prioritization is ad hoc and not formally based on objectives or threat environment. | There is limited awareness of cybersecurity risks at the organizational level. The organization implements cybersecurity risk management on an irregular, case-by-case basis. The organization may not have processes that enable cybersecurity information to be shared within the organization. The organization is generally unaware of the cybersecurity risks associated with its suppliers and the products and services it acquires and uses. |
Tier 2: Risk Informed | Risk management practices are approved by management but may not be established as organization wide policy. The prioritization of cybersecurity activities and protection needs is directly informed by organizational risk objectives, the threat environment, or business/mission requirements. | There is an awareness of cybersecurity risks at the organizational level, but an organization-wide approach to managing cybersecurity risks has not been established. Consideration of cybersecurity in organizational objectives and programs may occur at some but not all levels of the organization. Cyber risk assessment of organizational and external assets occurs but is not typically repeatable or reoccurring. Cybersecurity information is shared within the organization on an informal basis. The organization is aware of the cybersecurity risks associated with its suppliers and the products and services it acquires and uses, but it does not act consistently or formally in response to those risks. |
Tier 3: Repeatable | The organization’s risk management practices are formally approved and expressed as policy. Risk-informed policies, processes, and procedures are defined, implemented as intended, and reviewed. Organizational cybersecurity practices are regularly updated based on the application of risk management processes to changes in business/mission requirements, threats, and technological landscape. | There is an organization-wide approach to managing cybersecurity risks. Cybersecurity information is routinely shared throughout the organization. Consistent methods are in place to respond effectively to changes in risk. Personnel possess the knowledge and skills to perform their appointed roles and responsibilities. The organization consistently and accurately monitors the cybersecurity risks of assets. Senior cybersecurity and non-cybersecurity executives communicate regularly regarding cybersecurity risks. Executives ensure that cybersecurity is considered through all lines of operation in the organization. |
24
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Tier | Cybersecurity Risk Governance | Cybersecurity Risk Management |
The organization risk strategy is informed by the cybersecurity risks associated with its suppliers and the products and services it acquires and uses. Personnel formally act upon those risks through mechanisms such as written agreements to communicate baseline requirements, governance structures (e.g., risk councils), and policy implementation and monitoring. These actions are implemented consistently and as intended and are continuously monitored and reviewed. | ||
Tier 4: Adaptive | There is an organization-wide approach to managing cybersecurity risks that uses risk-informed policies, processes, and procedures to address potential cybersecurity events. The relationship between cybersecurity risks and organizational objectives is clearly understood and considered when making decisions. Executives monitor cybersecurity risks in the same context as financial and other organizational risks. The organizational budget is based on an understanding of the current and predicted risk environment and risk tolerance. Business units implement executive vision and analyze system-level risks in the context of the organizational risk tolerances. Cybersecurity risk management is part of the organizational culture. It evolves from an awareness of previous activities and continuous awareness of activities on organizational systems and networks. The organization can quickly and efficiently account for changes to business/mission objectives in how risk is approached and communicated. | The organization adapts its cybersecurity practices based on previous and current cybersecurity activities, including lessons learned and predictive indicators. Through a process of continuous improvement that incorporates advanced cybersecurity technologies and practices, the organization actively adapts to a changing technological landscape and responds in a timely and effective manner to evolving, sophisticated threats. The organization uses real-time or near real-time information to understand and consistently act upon the cybersecurity risks associated with its suppliers and the products and services it acquires and uses. Cybersecurity information is constantly shared throughout the organization and with authorized third parties. |
25
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Appendix C. Glossary
CSF Category
A group of related cybersecurity outcomes that collectively comprise a CSF Function.
CSF Community Profile
A baseline of CSF outcomes that is created and published to address shared interests and goals among a number of organizations. A Community Profile is typically developed for a particular sector, subsector, technology, threat type, or other use case. An organization can use a Community Profile as the basis for its own Target Profile.
CSF Core
A taxonomy of high-level cybersecurity outcomes that can help any organization manage its cybersecurity risks. Its components are a hierarchy of Functions, Categories, and Subcategories that detail each outcome.
CSF Current Profile
A part of an Organizational Profile that specifies the Core outcomes that an organization is currently achieving (or attempting to achieve) and characterizes how or to what extent each outcome is being achieved.
CSF Function
The highest level of organization for cybersecurity outcomes. There are six CSF Functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover.
CSF Implementation Example
A concise, action-oriented, notional illustration of a way to help achieve a CSF Core outcome.
CSF Informative Reference
A mapping that indicates a relationship between a CSF Core outcome and an existing standard, guideline, regulation, or other content.
CSF Organizational Profile
A mechanism for describing an organization’s current and/or target cybersecurity posture in terms of the CSF Core’s outcomes.
CSF Quick Start Guide
A supplementary resource that gives brief, actionable guidance on specific CSF-related topics.
CSF Subcategory
A group of more specific outcomes of technical and management cybersecurity activities that comprise a CSF Category.
CSF Target Profile
A part of an Organizational Profile that specifies the desired Core outcomes that an organization has selected and prioritized for achieving its cybersecurity risk management objectives.
CSF Tier
A characterization of the rigor of an organization’s cybersecurity risk governance and management practices. There are four Tiers: Partial (Tier 1), Risk Informed (Tier 2), Repeatable (Tier 3), and Adaptive (Tier 4).
26
NIST CSWP 29 The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 February 26, 2024
Certain commercial equipment, instruments, software, or materials, commercial or non-commercial, are identified in this paper in order to specify the experimental procedure adequately. Such identification does not imply recommendation or endorsement of any product or service by NIST, nor does it imply that the materials or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose.
NIST Technical Series Policies
Copyright, Use, and Licensing Statements
NIST Technical Series Publication Identifier Syntax
How to Cite this NIST Technical Series Publication:
National Institute of Standards and Technology (2024) The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0. (National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD), NIST Cybersecurity White Paper (CSWP) NIST CSWP 29. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.CSWP.29
Contact Information
cyberframework@nist.gov
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Attn: Applied Cybersecurity Division, Information Technology Laboratory
100 Bureau Drive (Mail Stop 2000) Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2000
All comments are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
27
