BLOG NIST Cybersecurity Framework: What It Is and Why You Need It

A formidable cybersecurity framework protects all types of data from theft and damage. These programs build a good defense for organizations against malicious data breach campaigns.

One of the most powerful tools to improve and organize cybersecurity programs is the NIST cybersecurity framework. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity framework is a set of guidelines that features best practices that organizations can use to build a better cybersecurity posture. The framework contains various standards and recommendations that allow organizations to be more prepared in identifying, preventing, and responding to cyber incidents.

What is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework?

The NIST cybersecurity framework is a powerful tool to organize and improve your cybersecurity program. It is a showcase of guidelines and standards to help organizations build and improve their cybersecurity posture. The framework gives recommendations and best practices to enable organizations to be better prepared in identifying and detecting cyber-attacks, and also provides guidelines on how to respond, prevent, and recover from cyber-attacks.

The NIST framework can act as a top-level security management tool that can address the lack of standards and provides a uniform set of guidelines and rules when it comes to cybersecurity. Whether you’re new to the business world or an established one, the framework can be a big help to you. You can put the NIST security framework to work in your business with these functions:

IDENTIFY

The first function is identification. It is centered to identify the groundwork for an effective cybersecurity program. This function aids in emerging an organizational strategy to manage common corporate cybersecurity risks to the systems, assets, data, and even its people. The “identify” function focuses on the importance of understanding the business context including the resources that encompass critical functions and risks of cybersecurity.

Essential activities include identifying physical and software assets to develop the basis for an asset management program, identifying current cybersecurity policies to state a governance program, and identifying the organization’s business environment.

It also identifies legal and regulatory requirements regarding the cybersecurity capabilities of the organization to mitigate threats to external and internal risks.

A supply chain risk management strategy that can aid in the identification of risk tolerance is also one of the focuses of this function.

PROTECT

The NIST cyber framework also emphasizes the safety of the organization from potential risks. The “protect” function gives an outline of how to defend the organization and ensure the delivery of critical structure services and support the ability to contain the effects of probable cybersecurity events.

This function empowers staff by bringing security awareness training based on the roles they play in the organization. It also establishes consistent data security protection parallel to the risk strategy in protecting the integrity and confidentiality of data.

Through maintenance activities, this function can protect organizational resources. Also, it ensures the resilience and security of systems by managing technologies corresponding to the organization’s procedures, policies and agreements.

DETECT

Potential cybersecurity incidents need to be detected to develop the appropriate activities that will identify the occurrence and even the resolution to the cybersecurity attack.

Activities under this function include the implementation of continuous monitoring capabilities to verify the effectiveness of measures to protect important data of the organization. It also ensures that incongruities can be detected and their potential impact is understood.

RESPOND

The next function is “respond” which is the taking of action in case there is a detected cybersecurity attack. This function supports the containment of the impact of the attack.

This manages communication between the external and internal stakeholders, as well as ensures the execution of the response planning process during and after the incidents.

Incidents are also analyzed to make sure that responses are effective and supporting recovery activities such as forensic analysis is being implemented. Mitigation activities are performed to avoid expansion of the impact and make sure that it is resolved.

Also, part of this function is the incorporation of improvements and lessons learned from detections and attacks.

RECOVER

NIST cybersecurity framework also helps you in recovering the data that are essential to the organization. This function identifies the proper activities to renew and maintain system plans to protect the organization from more cybersecurity attacks.

The “Recover” function ensures improvements are being implemented concerning the lessons learned and best practices of existing strategies.

Online frauds can be witnessed in any organization at any time or place. You might worry too much about the unseen risks and vulnerabilities that can penetrate your organization.

With the NIST cybersecurity framework, you can overcome these challenges and make sure that similar problems will be addressed. This framework helps you lay down the maturity of your program and provides certain activities that can help your organization in preventing cybersecurity attacks. You must have a good cybersecurity framework that can effectively protect your organization from possible online scams, attacks, and data breaches.

To wrap up, the different functions are there for different reasons. The “Identify” function is about developing a good asset inventory and taking into account its level of criticalness. It also focuses on the discovery of risks and vulnerabilities that online scammers can get into. It provides direction to your organization’s system and cybersecurity program. It is an important function as this is where everything starts. It is the start of the framework and definitely where you will know how it can align with your organization.

The “protection” and “detection” are the functions that will pave your organization’s way on how to secure data and detect malicious activities that can harm your system.

“Respond” and “recover” are also essential to the framework because it is where you take action in resolving breaches and recovering important data that is not to be exposed to the public. It is also where you plan for the prevention of the same attacks based on the experience you had.

The framework is flexible as it can be used by different organizations. It can be utilized by those who are just starting to establish a cybersecurity program, and also by those with mature programs already. 

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