This Quick Start Guide is designed to offer clear direction and practical advice for organizations across all sectors and communities looking to enhance their cybersecurity risk management using the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. While the Cybersecurity Framework is not a one-size-fits-all solution, its primary goal is to help organizations reduce and more effectively manage cybersecurity risks. This guide is relevant and beneficial for organizations of any size or industry. The way organizations implement the practices outlined here will vary, allowing them to focus on activities crucial to their core services and prioritize investments for maximum impact.
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a powerful tool to initiate or improve your organization’s cybersecurity program. Built on proven and effective cybersecurity practices, it significantly strengthens your cybersecurity posture. It also promotes better communication about cybersecurity among internal and external stakeholders. For larger organizations, the framework facilitates the integration and alignment of cybersecurity risk management with broader enterprise risk management strategies, as detailed in the NISTIR 8286 series.
The Framework is structured around five core Functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. These five widely understood terms provide a holistic perspective on managing cybersecurity risk throughout its lifecycle. The actions listed under each Function serve as an excellent starting point for your organization.
Identify
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Identify Critical Enterprise Processes and Assets: Determine the essential activities that your organization must maintain to operate effectively. This could include maintaining a payment-receiving website, securely protecting customer or patient data, or ensuring the accessibility and accuracy of collected information. Understanding these critical functions is the first step in effective cybersecurity risk management.
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Document Information Flows: It’s crucial to understand not only the types of information your organization collects and uses but also where this data is stored and how it is utilized. This is especially important when dealing with contracts and external partners. Mapping these information flows helps in identifying vulnerabilities and potential risks.
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Maintain Hardware and Software Inventory: A comprehensive understanding of your organization’s computers and software is vital. These are often the initial points of entry for cyber threats. Maintaining a detailed inventory, even a simple spreadsheet, can significantly improve your ability to manage and secure these assets.
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Establish Cybersecurity Policies Including Roles and Responsibilities: Develop clear policies and procedures that outline your organization’s cybersecurity expectations, detailing how information and systems will be protected and how these measures support critical enterprise processes. Cybersecurity policies should be integrated with broader organizational risk considerations, such as financial and reputational risks, ensuring a holistic approach to risk management.
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Identify Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Risks to Assets: Implement robust risk management processes to identify, assess, and document both internal and external threats in risk registers. Ensure that risk responses are defined, prioritized, executed, and continuously monitored to adapt to the evolving threat landscape.
Protect
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Manage Access to Assets and Information: Implement strict access controls to protect sensitive data and systems. Create unique accounts for each employee and ensure users only have access to the information, computers, and applications necessary for their roles. Employ strong authentication methods like passwords and multi-factor authentication. Also, carefully manage and monitor physical access to devices to prevent unauthorized entry.
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Protect Sensitive Data: If your organization handles sensitive data, ensure it is protected with robust encryption both when stored and during transmission. Consider using integrity checks to ensure data remains unaltered by unauthorized modifications. Implement secure data deletion and destruction protocols when data is no longer needed or required for compliance, minimizing data exposure risks.
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Conduct Regular Backups: Implement regular data backups to prevent data loss from system failures, cyberattacks, or disasters. Utilize built-in operating system backup features, software solutions, or cloud services to automate this process. A best practice is to maintain an offline backup set, frequently updated, to protect against ransomware attacks and ensure business continuity.
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Protect Your Devices: Enhance device security by installing host-based firewalls and endpoint security products. Apply uniform configurations across all devices and rigorously control configuration changes. Disable any device services or features that are not essential for operational functions to reduce potential attack vectors. Establish and enforce policies for secure device disposal to prevent data leaks.
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Manage Device Vulnerabilities: Regularly update operating systems and applications on all computers and devices to patch known vulnerabilities and protect against exploits. Enable automatic updates where possible to ensure timely security patches. Use vulnerability scanning tools to identify and remediate potential weaknesses, prioritizing those with high likelihood and impact to maintain a strong security posture.
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Train Users: Conduct regular and comprehensive cybersecurity training for all users. Ensure they are fully aware of organizational cybersecurity policies, procedures, and their specific roles and responsibilities. Make this training a condition of employment to foster a security-conscious culture and minimize human error risks.
Detect
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Test and Update Detection Processes: Develop and rigorously test procedures for detecting unauthorized activities and entities within your networks and physical environment, including personnel actions. Ensure staff are well-informed about their detection and reporting responsibilities, both internally and to external regulatory and legal bodies. Regularly update these processes to adapt to new threats and detection technologies.
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Maintain and Monitor Logs: Implement comprehensive logging and monitoring practices. Logs are essential for identifying anomalies in your organization’s systems and applications. These logs should record significant events such as system changes, account modifications, and communication channel initiations. Utilize software tools to aggregate and analyze logs, looking for patterns or deviations from normal network behavior that could indicate security incidents.
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Know Expected Data Flows: Gain a deep understanding of your organization’s normal data usage patterns. Knowing how data is expected to flow and be used allows you to quickly identify unusual or unexpected data flows, which are often indicators of cybersecurity breaches. Unexpected data flows, such as unauthorized export of customer data, should trigger immediate investigation and response. If using cloud or managed service providers, ensure they provide detailed data flow tracking and reporting, especially for unexpected events.
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Understand the Impact of Cybersecurity Events: Establish procedures to quickly and thoroughly assess the scope and impact of detected cybersecurity incidents. Don’t hesitate to seek external expertise if needed. Transparent communication about security events with relevant stakeholders, including partners, oversight bodies, and potentially investors, is crucial for maintaining trust and improving future policies and processes.
Respond
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Ensure Response Plans Are Tested: Regularly test your incident response plans through simulations and drills. This ensures that every team member understands their roles and responsibilities during an actual incident. Thorough testing is crucial for effective plan execution. This preparation should include awareness of legal reporting obligations and necessary information sharing protocols.
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Ensure Response Plans Are Updated: After each test or real incident, review and update your response plans based on lessons learned. Identify areas for improvement and incorporate these insights to enhance the plan’s effectiveness. Continuous improvement is key to maintaining a robust incident response capability.
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Coordinate with Internal and External Stakeholders: Ensure that your organization’s response plans and updates include all relevant internal teams and external service providers. Their input is valuable for improving both the planning and execution phases of incident response. Effective coordination ensures a unified and efficient response effort.
Recover
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Communicate with Internal and External Stakeholders: Effective communication is paramount during the recovery phase. Your recovery plans must detail what information will be shared, how it will be communicated, and when it will be disseminated to various stakeholders. This ensures that all parties receive necessary information while preventing the release of inappropriate or sensitive details.
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Ensure Recovery Plans Are Updated: Similar to response plans, regularly test and update your recovery plans. Testing execution will enhance employee and partner preparedness and highlight areas needing improvement. Incorporate lessons learned from tests and real incidents to refine recovery processes and ensure they remain effective.
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Manage Public Relations and Company Reputation: A critical aspect of recovery is managing your organization’s public image. Develop a public relations strategy within your recovery plan to ensure that information shared is accurate, comprehensive, and timely, avoiding reactive or misinformed communications. Proactive and transparent communication is essential for maintaining trust and minimizing reputational damage.
Download the PDF version of this quick start guide for offline access and easy sharing within your organization.
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