What is NIST? —Standards, Compliance, and Cybersecurity Frameworks

NIST stands for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is abbreviated as NIST. It comes under the U.S. Department of Commerce. It was earlier known as the National Bureau of Standards when it was founded in 1901. The group changed its name to its current one in 1988.

NIST aims at increasing innovation and competitiveness of industries by development of measurement techniques, standards, and technologies. Although it had been implemented on a broad scale, it is receiving particular attention today due to the impact it has on the safety of information and cyber space and protection of data.

NIST develops technology and guards against security risks. Other organizations use NIST guides, such as governments and commercial companies, to design systems, manage systems, and secure systems.

What Is NIST Compliance? In Technical Terms 

NIST compliance ensures that the policies, systems, and procedures of the organization align with one or more NIST standards or guidelines. Although NIST standards are usually voluntary, they are commonly required in places where valuable data needs protection, especially when a U.S. government contract is involved.

NIST compliance requires companies to meet essential requirements such as:

• NIST SP 800-53: A comprehensive catalog aimed at ensuring security and privacy for all federal information systems and organizations. 
• NIST SP 800-171: Intended to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) specifically in non-federal settings. 
• FIPS 140-3: It outlines the requirements for securing cryptographic modules within federal systems.

Organizations that fail to complete NIST compliance checks may face losing their contracts, as well as incurring legal penalties, or increased vulnerability to cyber threats.

What Is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework?

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) is considered a voluntary framework and guidance synthesis that incorporates a systematic cybersecurity risk management and reduction methodology. It was created as a follow-up to Executive Order 13636, signed in 2013, to improve the security of U.S. critical infrastructure on a cyberspace scale.

It was introduced in 2014 as Version 1.0 and revised in 2018 as Version 1.1. The NIST CSF was made adjustable to the requirements of organizations differing in size, industry, and level of cybersecurity. NIST released Version 2.0 in 2024, which broadens usability with an added feature: a new Govern function. It revised the examples of implementation and advice to be more specific to a wider variety of organizations and applications.

Through the NIST CSF, organizations are in a position to identify threats, secure critical resources, detect risks, manage incidents, and recover following disruptions. It helps the organization ensure that technical actions are executed in line with demand, along with expectations and exceptions that management allows.

What are the Core Functions of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework

NIST Cybersecurity Framework consists of five main functions. All these functions are critical in building a solid and adaptable cybersecurity plan:

• Identify: The NST cybersecurity framework identifies cybersecurity risks to systems, people, assets, and data. It contains risk management, governance, supply chain risk, and asset management.
• Defend: NIST constructs safeguards that facilitate the reinforcement of the delivery of crucial infrastructure in an efficient way and secure fashion. This would entail limited access, information security, awareness and sophisticated technologies.
• Detect: Identify the occurrence of cybersecurity events. This involves constant monitoring, detection of behavior anomalies, as well as an analysis of the events.
• Response: During the detection of a cybersecurity incident, take the required steps. This involves establishing a response plan, dissemination of information, remedial acts to reduce harm, and an analysis of the results of the response.
• Recover: Increase resiliency by sustaining plans and restoring or restarting services that have been impacted by several incidents. It includes recovery actions and improvement measures, as well as communication steps.

The framework involves implementation tiers and profiles.

• Tiers represent different levels of cybersecurity maturity within an organization.
• Profiles enable users to customize the structure to suit their business objectives and risk preferences.

What are the various frameworks developed by NIST?

The most widely recognized framework is the Cybersecurity Framework developed by NIST, although other publications and frameworks cover different aspects of system security and privacy. The following are some of the most quoted NIST frameworks: 

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF): This assists organizations in identifying, protecting, detecting, responding to, and recovering against cyber threats as discussed above.
• NIST Privacy Framework: A voluntary framework to facilitate the handling of risks as well as the management of privacy by the organization, which also favors ethical data management.
• NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF): It provides a comprehensive way of mapping security and risk management efforts in the system development life cycle.
• NIST Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF): Introduced in 2023, this framework supports responsible and trustworthy AI system development and deployment.

What Does NIST Do?

NIST is one of the most influential organizations in the United States in terms of scientific and technological development. Its main functions can be designated as follows:

• NIST develops and refines technical standards for various industries.  
• It also strengthens cybersecurity and advances information technology solutions.  
• NIST conducts research to foster innovation and discover new technologies.  
• Another key role is to provide support services to federal agencies, enhancing their operations.  
• Moreover, it builds partnerships with industry leaders to encourage growth and share best practices.