ZTA and NIST SP 800-53 aren’t just acronyms -- they’re powerful cybersecurity frameworks used by federal, state, and local agencies.
But how is NIST SP 800-53 relevant for you?
First, it provides an extensive catalog of privacy and security controls to protect IT infrastructures from malicious attacks.
Second, it’s regularly updated to address new and emerging threats.
If you’re looking for robust security standards and want to adopt a recognized framework, NIST SP 800-53 is your best bet.
Understanding NIST SP 800-53
Overview of NIST SP 800-53
First, what is NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-53?
NIST Special Publication 800-53 (Revision 5) is a risk management framework that establishes privacy and security controls for federal information systems and organizations.
It’s designed to help federal agencies comply with the 2014 Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA 2014), an update of the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA 2002).
NIST SP 800-53 also helps organizations comply with OMB policies, the Privacy Act of 1974, and designated Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).
It safeguards federal information systems through a Risk Management Framework (RMF).
Effectively, NIST 800-53 modernizes the federal government’s security posture by codifying a strategic collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
The focus of this collaboration is implementing information security policies for non-national security Executive Branch systems.
Importance of NIST SP 800-53 in Information Systems
We’re often asked, “What’s a NIST Special Publication?”
Briefly, they’re authoritative documents that provide detailed guidance for improving system security, information integrity, and personnel security in diverse industries.
Ultimately, NIST SP 800-53 helps organizations comply with FISMA 2014 by ensuring they have the necessary resiliency to repel cyber-attacks, safeguard critical infrastructure, and protect the economic and national security interests of the United States.
This involves:
- Supply chain risk management
- Identity, credential, and access management
- Configuration management
- Incident response
- Contingency planning
- Information security continuous monitoring
All the above aligns with the principles of the ZTA (Zero Trust Architecture) emphasized by President Biden’s Executive Order 14028 on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.
Key components of NIST SP 800-53
So, what is the NIST SP 800-53 framework or what are its key components?
NIST SP 800-53 is organized into a control catalog. This catalog is made up of 20 control families, each addressing specific security and privacy risks.
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Access Control |
Physical & Environmental Protection |
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Audit and Accountability |
Planning |
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Awareness and Training |
Program Management |
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Assessment, Authorization, & Monitoring |
Personnel Security |
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Configuration Management |
PII Processing & Transparency |
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Contingency Planning |
Risk Assessment |
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Identification & Authentication |
System and Services Acquisition |
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Incident Response |
System and Communications Protection |
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Maintenance |
System and Information Integrity |
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Media Protection |
Supply Chain Risk Management |
Overview of revisions in NIST SP 800-53
NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 introduces significant updates to Version 4 of the document. Key revisions include:
- Establishing a new supply chain risk management control family to address supply chain risks
- Making the controls more outcome than implementation focused
- Adding a new Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Processing and Transparency family to address privacy risk management
- Further expanding the integrating of privacy controls into the security control catalog, a process that began with Version 4 NIST SP 800-53
- Including mappings to ISO 27001, ISO 15408, and the NIST Cybersecurity and Privacy Frameworks
- Removing the control baselines from the control catalog and migrating them to NIST SP 800-53B Control Baselines and Tailoring Guidance for Federal Information Systems and Organizations
The above updates are slated to support the use of NIST SP 800-53 among diverse communities of interest.
For your business, NIST SP 800-53 sets the standard for the privacy and security controls it needs, while NIST SP 800-53A serves as the framework for assessing the effectiveness of those controls.
NIST SP 800-53 and LastPass
How LastPass supports NIST SP 800-53 compliance
LastPass can support compliance with NIST SP 800-53 by complementing the security controls related to access control & identification/authentication.
NIST SP 800-53 emphasizes the principle of least privilege in accordance with a Zero Trust architecture. LastPass supports this by enabling the secure storing, managing, and sharing of passwords. This ensures only authorized employees can access your organization’s most sensitive information or intellectual property assets.
And with our audit logging capabilities, any potential malicious activity is handled by our highly skilled incident response teams. This supports NIST SP 800-53 compliance by providing accountability and traceability of all events.
Integration of LastPass with NIST SP 800-53 controls
Integrating LastPass with NIST SP 800-53 involves alignment with controls pertaining to access enforcement, identification & authentication, and cryptographic protection.
We support these controls through:
- PBKDF2-SHA 256 and AES-256 cryptographic protection, where passwords are stored and transmitted securely
- The screening and updating of compromised credentials via a Security Dashboard
- The creation of long, secure passwords, which aligns with the NIST emphasis on length over complexity
Enhancing security and privacy with LastPass
We make it easy to maintain secure configurations across your business systems, which is a key aspect of NIST SP 800-53 compliance.
Secure configuration involves changing default manufacturer-set passwords on computers and network devices.
By providing complex password generation, secure credential storage, and a centralized platform for credential management, we reduce the likelihood of password-related attacks on your business.
In addition, our FIDO2 passwordless authentication methods support the strong authentication mechanisms recommended in the NIST 800-63B guidelines on Authentication and Lifecycle Management.
LastPass makes onboarding and offboarding a breeze for your organization. Access rights are revoked in real-time, in tandem with directory changes. This substantially reduces the risk of unauthorized access when employees leave your organization.
In light of the latest credential-based attacks on SMBs, it’s time to reclaim control in the digital battlefield.
Sign up for a free, no-obligation trial of LastPass Business today.
