Assessing Security and Privacy Controls in Information Systems and Organizations

On November 7, 2023, NIST issued a patch release of SP 800-53A (Release 5.1.1) that includes:

A list of all the changes in the patch release is available under Supplemental Material.

As stakeholders use NIST SP 800-53A and its derivative data formats, updates are identified to improve the quality of the publication. Updates can include corrections, clarifications, or other minor changes in the publication that are either editorial or substantive in nature. Any potential updates for SP 800-53A and its derivative data formats that are not yet published in an errata update or revision—including additional issues and potential corrections—will be posted as they are identified. Please report any potential updates to sec-cert@nist.gov.

Author(s)

Joint Task Force

Abstract

This publication provides a methodology and set of procedures for conducting assessments of security and privacy controls employed within systems and organizations within an effective risk management framework. The assessment procedures, executed at various phases of the system development life cycle, are consistent with the security and privacy controls in NIST Special Publication 800-53, Revision 5. The procedures are customizable and can be easily tailored to provide organizations with the needed flexibility to conduct security and privacy control assessments that support organizational risk management processes and are aligned with the stated risk tolerance of the organization. Information on building effective security and privacy assessment plans is also provided with guidance on analyzing assessment results.

This publication provides a methodology and set of procedures for conducting assessments of security and privacy controls employed within systems and organizations within an effective risk management framework. The assessment procedures, executed at various phases of the system development life. See full abstract

This publication provides a methodology and set of procedures for conducting assessments of security and privacy controls employed within systems and organizations within an effective risk management framework. The assessment procedures, executed at various phases of the system development life cycle, are consistent with the security and privacy controls in NIST Special Publication 800-53, Revision 5. The procedures are customizable and can be easily tailored to provide organizations with the needed flexibility to conduct security and privacy control assessments that support organizational risk management processes and are aligned with the stated risk tolerance of the organization. Information on building effective security and privacy assessment plans is also provided with guidance on analyzing assessment results.
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Keywords

assessment ; assessment plan ; assurance ; control assessment ; FISMA ; Privacy Act ; privacy controls ; Open Security Controls Assessment Language ; OSCAL ; privacy requirements ; Risk Management Framework ; security controls ; security requirements