NIST: Enhancing Cybersecurity Standards

The digital world is always changing, making strong cybersecurity more important than ever. We’ll explore how the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helps keep us safe online. NIST is key in making sure people, businesses, and governments can handle digital threats.

NIST is a leader in setting standards for technology and science. But it’s also a big name in cybersecurity. It helps many industries, like biometrics and healthcare IT, stay safe.

Key Takeaways

• NIST creates cybersecurity standards and resources for the U.S. industry, agencies, and the public.
• NIST’s work comes from laws, executive orders, and policies, like the OMB’s order for agencies to use NIST’s cybersecurity advice.
• NIST helps manage privacy risks, which are closely linked to cybersecurity.
• Key areas NIST focuses on include cryptography, education, emerging tech, risk management, and more.
• NIST’s cybersecurity work is setting the stage for the future, seen in courses and certifications in Gujranwala, Pakistan.

Introducing NIST’s Cybersecurity Initiatives

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is key in making cybersecurity standards. They work with U.S. industry, federal agencies, and the public². Their work covers both immediate needs and future challenges³.

NIST’s Role in Developing Cybersecurity Standards

NIST’s work comes from laws, executive orders, and policies, plus industry and public needs³. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a voluntary guide. It helps organizations manage and lower cybersecurity risks².

Priority Areas for NIST’s Cybersecurity Contributions

NIST focuses on cryptography, education, and workforce. They also look at emerging technologies, risk management, identity, and access management. Other areas include measurements, privacy, trustworthy networks, and trustworthy platforms³.

Their work boosts the security of critical infrastructure and information systems. It also strengthens public-private partnerships⁴.

“The NIST Cybersecurity Framework provides a common language and structure for organizations to better manage and reduce their cybersecurity risks.” – NIST

NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 (CSF 2.0) is a detailed guide for all types of organizations. It helps them manage and lower cybersecurity risks⁵. This new version adds more features to tackle the changing threats we face.

Overview of the Cybersecurity Framework 2.0

The CSF 2.0 has six main parts: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover, and Govern⁵. These parts help organizations check their security, set up controls, and keep improving⁶. It’s available in 13 languages, showing its global use⁵.

Quick Start Guides for Common Goals

NIST offers Quick Start Guides (QSGs) for common cybersecurity goals⁶. These guides give clear steps to quickly use the framework and solve security issues⁶. The CSF 2.0 also has a searchable catalog of references. This lets users link with over 50 other cybersecurity documents for a full risk management approach⁵.

The Cybersecurity and Privacy Reference Tool (CPRT) gives more NIST advice for using cybersecurity resources and talking about them to different groups⁵. This set of tools helps organizations use the CSF 2.0 well. It helps them meet their cybersecurity goals, making critical infrastructure more resilient and lowering risks⁶.

Cybersecurity Framework Profiles and Resources

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework offers tools and templates for managing cybersecurity risks. These profiles are customizable, letting businesses tailor their cybersecurity plans to fit their specific needs and goals⁷.

Creating a “Current” Profile helps organizations check their cybersecurity level and spot areas to improve. Then, they can set a “Target” Profile to show what they want their cybersecurity to be like. This helps focus on what needs to be done to make their security better⁸.

NIST provides many resources to help with this, like templates and examples. These are great for small businesses that might not have the staff to make their own cybersecurity plans from scratch⁷.

Using the NIST Cybersecurity Framework’s tools, organizations can better manage risks, talk more clearly about cybersecurity, and follow industry best practices. This makes their digital world more secure and resilient⁸.

“The creation of profiles enables organizations to identify gaps and prioritize cybersecurity improvement activities.”

Informative References and Mappings

NIST offers a lot of helpful resources and guides that show how different cybersecurity tools work together. These tools help organizations use NIST’s guidelines and standards to manage risks well⁹.

Exploring NIST’s Cybersecurity Resources

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) has six main guides that many use, like NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 4 and ISO/IEC 27001:2013¹⁰. NIST is adding more guides through its Online Informative Reference (OLIR) Program. This gives companies more tools to meet their cybersecurity goals⁹.

Companies can pick which guides to use or add their own to fit their needs. This way, they can make the NIST CSF work best for them⁹.

NIST’s resources, like guides and maps, give companies a full toolkit for managing their risk management and reaching their cybersecurity goals¹⁰.

“NIST’s Informative References and mappings equip organizations with the tools they need to navigate the complex cybersecurity landscape and implement effective risk management practices.”

Latest Updates on NIST’s Cybersecurity Efforts

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) leads in cybersecurity, offering regular updates on its efforts. NIST has made the Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 available in Spanish and Portuguese as of¹¹. This move expands its global reach and accessibility. NIST also received the prestigious ‘Ecosystem Champion’ Cyber Policy Award for its work on the Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 in April 2024¹¹.

In 2024, NIST released the Draft NIST IR 8467 for the Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Genomic Data. The final version of NIST IR 8432 for Cybersecurity of Genomic Data was also published¹¹. Additionally, the final version of NIST Internal Report (NIST IR) 8473 for the Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Electric Vehicle Extreme Fast Charging Infrastructure was released¹¹.

The year before, in 2023, the NCCoE published the final version of NIST IR 8406 for the Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Liquefied Natural Gas¹¹. The Draft NIST IR 8441 for the Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Hybrid Satellite Networks (HSN) was open for public comment until July 5th, 2023¹¹.

NIST has been engaging the community, releasing the “Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 Concept Paper” for public review and comment by March 3, 2023¹¹. The agency updated the Cybersecurity Framework, leading to the development of the Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 in June 2022¹¹.

In 2022, NIST released the Ransomware Risk Management Profile, now final, and a quick start guide¹¹. The Cybersecurity Framework was translated into Ukrainian and French, expanding its global reach¹¹. NIST issued an RFI for Evaluating and Improving NIST Cybersecurity Resources with responses due by April 25, 2022¹¹.

NIST has been proactive in addressing emerging cybersecurity challenges. In 2021, the agency released Security Measures for “EO-Critical Software” to protect agencies’ operational environments¹¹. NIST also released a draft ransomware risk management profile open for comment through October 8, 2021, and the Draft NISTIR 8286B for Prioritizing Cybersecurity Risk for Enterprise Risk Management was available for public comment in 2021¹¹.

These updates show NIST’s commitment to enhancing cybersecurity standards and engaging with the community to address threats and challenges¹¹¹²¹³.

This table shows the latest updates and initiatives from NIST. It highlights the agency’s proactive approach to enhancing cybersecurity standards and providing valuable resources to the community¹¹¹²¹³.

Executive Order 14028: NIST’s Responsibilities

The President’s Executive Order 14028, “Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity,” has given NIST a key role in making cybersecurity better¹⁴. This order was made on May 12, 2021, and tells NIST to work on software supply chain security¹⁴. NIST must publish guidelines on this topic within 90 days of the first draft¹⁴.

The Secretary of Commerce, through NIST, must issue more detailed guidance on software security within 90 days of the first guidelines¹⁴. Also, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must make sure agencies follow these guidelines for software buying within 30 days¹⁴.

Overview of Executive Order 14028

NIST has been quick to act on the tasks given in Executive Order 14028¹⁵. The Secretary of Commerce, through NIST, had to ask for feedback from different groups to find or make new standards for software security¹⁵.

NIST had to publish early guidelines for better software supply chain security within 180 days¹⁵. Then, within 360 days, NIST had to release more detailed guidelines that included how to keep up with changes¹⁵.

Completed Assignments under the Executive Order

NIST has been busy doing what Executive Order 14028 asked for¹⁴. NIST asked for opinions, held online meetings, and talked with agencies to get ideas on how to make software supply chain security better¹⁴. The SP 800-218 document gives advice on how to fix software problems based on EO 14028 Section 4e¹⁴.

Now, federal agencies must follow secure software development rules when buying software¹⁴. The guidance also makes sure software makers use a risk-based approach during the software’s life cycle¹⁴.

NIST’s advice covers many areas like Critical Software Definition and how to make software supply chain security better¹⁵. It tells federal agencies to use controls from SP 800-161, Rev. 1, with suppliers and to follow new security advice for software supply chains¹⁵. The advice helps agencies improve their software security, verify software, and label consumer software and IoT devices securely¹⁵.

NIST’s advice includes using Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), better risk checks, and managing software vulnerabilities¹⁵. The NIST SSDF lists four main practices: Prepare the Organization (PO), Protect the Software (PS), Produce Well-Secured Software (PW), and Respond to Vulnerabilities (RV)¹⁶. The Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCA) makes agencies check and rank risks in their supply chains¹⁶.

NIST suggests using automated tests to check software security and integrity¹⁶. Static analysis uses code scanners and checks for hidden secrets, while dynamic analysis runs programs to find security issues¹⁶.

Enhancing Software Supply Chain Security

NIST has been told by Executive Order 14028 to make new standards and tools to make software supply chains safer¹⁷. They need to check software security and how developers and suppliers work¹⁷. They also need to find new ways to show that software is secure¹⁷.

NIST is working fast on this. They asked for input from many sectors within 30 days¹⁷. They plan to release guidelines for software security in 180 days¹⁷. And they will update these guidelines every 360 days¹⁷.

NIST’s guidance covers many areas. It talks about what makes software critical, how to secure it, and how to check on suppliers¹⁷. This helps federal agencies use better security for software, following Executive Order 14028¹⁷.

The guidance includes things like Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and better checks on suppliers¹⁷. It also talks about managing software risks and using open-source software safely¹⁷. This is to help federal agencies improve their security, focusing on critical software and cybersecurity for everyone¹⁷.

NIST is working with Eclypsium to show how to manage risks in the software supply chain¹⁸. Eclypsium’s platform gives insights on risks for IT products like laptops and servers¹⁸. It helps with CSF 2.0 tasks like managing assets and assessing risks¹⁸.

The Eclypsium platform automates updates and checks risks, finds threats, and checks if hardware and software are real¹⁸. It looks for threats at the hardware and firmware levels, showing the need to secure software and its parts¹⁸.

Cybersecurity Labeling for Consumer IoT and Software

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working hard to tackle cybersecurity issues with consumer IoT devices and software¹⁹. They’ve been told to make strong labeling criteria by Executive Order 14028¹⁹.

IoT Cybersecurity Criteria for Labeling

NIST has set clear standards for labeling consumer IoT products¹⁹. They looked at IoT product weaknesses and got feedback from the public through workshops and drafts¹⁹. The goal is to make sure the criteria are flexible for both providers and customers¹⁹.

Secure Software Development Criteria for Labeling

NIST also has to come up with criteria for labeling consumer software²⁰. They needed to find secure ways to develop software by February 6, 2022²⁰. They asked for public feedback on software cybersecurity and labeling in 2021²⁰.

To make these labeling programs work, a scheme owner is needed¹⁹. This person or group will manage the labeling, set up checks, and teach consumers about it¹⁹. NIST’s advice helps consumers know which products are safe¹⁹.

More IoT devices mean more cyber threats, and we’ve seen a huge spike in attacks²¹. In the first half of 2021, over 1.5 billion IoT attacks happened²¹. NIST’s work on cybersecurity labels aims to help consumers and push manufacturers to focus on security²¹.

Engaging with NIST’s Cybersecurity Initiatives

NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, works with many groups like the private sector, schools, and government. This teamwork is key to making sure NIST’s cybersecurity efforts meet the needs of everyone involved.

Stakeholder Involvement and Collaboration

NIST creates cybersecurity standards and resources for the U.S. industry, government agencies, and the public²². These efforts are backed by laws, executive orders, and policies from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for government agencies²². NIST talks with different groups to tackle big cybersecurity problems faced by the U.S. industry and people²². It focuses on areas like cryptography, education, new tech, risk management, and privacy²².

NIST’s teamwork is seen in its work on important cybersecurity projects²³. For example, in February 2013, NIST got an Executive Order to make a voluntary framework for protecting critical infrastructure²³. The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 made NIST’s role in cybersecurity even stronger²³. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework helps manage cybersecurity risks for critical infrastructure in a flexible and cost-effective way²³.

NIST keeps working with stakeholders to get feedback on the Cybersecurity Framework and Roadmap²³. This keeps NIST’s cybersecurity efforts up to date and in line with what the community needs.

By working closely with industry, schools, and government, NIST makes sure its NIST cybersecurity initiatives are well-informed and tackle real-world challenges. This teamwork helps protect organizations and people in the digital world.

Conclusion

NIST plays a key role in boosting cybersecurity standards in the U.S. It creates strong guidelines and frameworks. This makes NIST a top name in cybersecurity²⁴. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework is a vital tool for companies to handle and reduce cybersecurity risks²⁴.

NIST’s work is backed by laws, executive orders, and the changing needs of different groups. This includes critical infrastructure, government, and the public²⁴. With Executive Order 14028, NIST’s role in software supply chain security and other areas has grown²⁴. NIST works with many stakeholders to tackle the biggest cybersecurity challenges.

As new threats and tech come up, NIST keeps updating its guidelines and practices²⁴. Through teamwork and ongoing improvement, NIST’s efforts will keep protecting the U.S.’s digital assets and critical infrastructure.