NIST SP 800-53 is a framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that provides guidelines and best practices for securing federal information systems and protecting the privacy of individuals whose information these systems handle.

The Special Publication has gone by several different names. NIST initially released Special Publication 800-53 in 2005 under the title “Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems,” updated it in 2009 to “Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations,” and most recently removed the word “federal” to indicate that these regulations may be applied to all organizations, despite only being mandatory for federal information systems.

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5: Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations

Before we dive into the impact of Special Publication 800-53 on federal IT systems, it’s worth briefly exploring how Revision 5 differs from previous iterations.

Updates in NIST Special Publication 800-53 Revision 5

NIST published the final version of Special Publication 800-53 Revision 5 on September 23rd, 2020 with updates on Dec 10, 2020, to supersede all previous versions. According to the NIST Computer Security Resource Center (CSRC), the most significant changes to the publication were:

• Making the security and privacy controls more outcome-based by changing the structure of the controls;
• Fully integrating the privacy controls into the security control catalog, creating a consolidated and unified set of controls for information systems and organizations while providing summary and mapping tables for privacy-related controls;
• Separating the control selection process from the actual controls, thus allowing the controls to be used by different communities of interest, including systems engineers, software developers, enterprise architects, and mission/business owners;
• Promoting integration with different risk management and cybersecurity approaches and lexicons, including the Cybersecurity Framework;
• Clarifying the relationship between security and privacy to improve the selection of controls necessary to address the full scope of security and privacy risks;
• Incorporating new, state-of-the-practice controls based on threat intelligence and empirical attack data, including controls to strengthen cybersecurity and privacy governance and accountability.

Of Note:  The Mappings and crosswalks between 800-53 Rev. 5 and other frameworks and standards (e.g. NIST Cybersecurity Framework and NIST Privacy Framework; ISO/IEC 27001:2022  were updated On Dec 19th, 2023

Understanding NIST Special Publication 800-53

NIST SP 800-53 provides a set of controls designed to protect information and information systems from a diverse range of threats. It organizes these controls into 20 families (provided below), each addressing a specific aspect of security and privacy and containing individual controls, which are specific security or privacy requirements. The document also provides baselines (Low, Moderate, High) that help organizations select the appropriate controls based on the impact level of their systems.

The NIST SP 800-53 security control families are:

1. Access Control (AC)
2. Physical and Environmental Protection (PE)
3. Awareness and Training (AT)
4. Planning (PL)
5. Audit and Accountability (AU)
6. Program Management (PM)
7. Assessment, Authorization, and Monitoring (CA)
8. Personnel Security (PS)
9. Configuration Management (CM)
10. PII Processing and Transparency (PT)
11. Contingency Planning (CP)
12. Risk Assessment (RA)
13. Identification and Authentication (IA)
14. System and Services Acquisition (SA)
15. Incident Response (IR)
16. System and Communications Protection (SC)
17. Maintenance (MA)
18. System and Information Integrity (SI)
19. Media Protection (MP)
20. Supply Chain Risk Management (SR

How NIST Special Publication 800-53 Impacts Federal IT Systems

If complied with, NIST SP 800-53 has enormous impacts on the security of federal IT systems. It primarily helps improve security practices and helps federal agencies protect/harden systems against a wide array of threats. These improved security practices, in turn, ensure compliance with various federal regulations, including the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA).

SP 800-53 controls are integrated with the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF), promoting a risk-based approach to security. This ensures that security measures are proportional to the potential impact on operations, assets, and individuals. Similarly, they provide a framework for internal and external audits, helping agencies demonstrate compliance and identify areas for improvement.

Federal agencies, by their nature, handle enormous amounts of sensitive data. NIST SP 800-53 includes privacy controls to ensure these agencies protect information systems and manage privacy risks, safeguarding personal data.

NIST SP 800-53 also provides controls related to resilience and recovery to help federal agencies prepare for, respond to, and recover from adverse events, ensuring the continuity of operations and the protection of critical assets. Similarly, it emphasizes continuous monitoring and ongoing assessment of security controls to help identify new and emerging threats.

The Special Publication also recognizes the human factor in protecting information systems. It emphasizes the importance of security awareness and training programs, ensuring that personnel know security policies, procedures, and best practices to improve agencies’ security postures.

The controls also include provisions for managing risks associated with third-party providers and the supply chain, ensuring that external dependencies do not compromise federal IT systems.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, NIST SP 800-53 standardizes security controls across all federal agencies and helps to maintain a uniform security posture. This ensures that all federal agencies—regardless of their criticality or likelihood of being attacked—are subject to a broad spectrum of security controls and protected from threats. It also facilitates collaboration and information sharing among federal agencies, enhancing the overall security posture of the federal government.

All in all, NIST Special Publication 800-53 can transform federal IT systems’ security posture. It dramatically improves security practices, standardizes them across agencies, and ensures compliance with various regulations, including FISMA. It is crucial to the safety and effective functioning of the US Government.

Learn how to improve your cybersecurity posture with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework in our NIST datasheet