Businesses face a greater variety of cyber threats, and the risks to sensitive information and disruption to the operation are real. Against such threats, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed Special Publication 800-171 (NIST 800-171) to offer a guideline to businesses to maintain Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) protection from unwanted disclosures and access.
Besides, translating the security controls in the guideline in NIST 800-171, along with improving the company’s security posture, also ensures compliance with the requirements at the federal level, most notably for businesses involved in government contracting.
This article explores how businesses are protected by NIST 800-171 through the core sections, such as Access Control, Awareness and Training, Audit and Accountability, Configuration Management, and Identification and Authentication.
Understanding NIST 800-171
NIST 800-171 sounds like scary tech jargon, but it’s merely a set of security guidelines to protect sensitive information. The recommendations, created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, are meant to give businesses working under contract to the federal government a tool to ensure required data security.
Think of the NIST 800-171 standard as a security to-do list, only to use to protect so-called Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)—information that isn’t classified, say, documents marked top-secret, but in some sense needs to be protected, such as diagrams of the company’s internal wiring, research findings, or employee details.
Ideally, the framework consists of 14 security families, each handling a different cybersecurity domain. To achieve NIST 800-171 compliance, businesses must meet the specifications of all these families, covering areas such as password security, access control, and system monitoring. These families were established to plug security loopholes so businesses are entirely secured from the most current cyber threats.
The following are ways NIST 800-171 compliance protects your enterprise from cyber threats:
1. Access Control
Access Control also figures in the case of NIST 800-171, and the point is limited access to sensitive content. By only letting authorized personnel see and/or alter specific content, businesses minimize the threats from internal and external breaches. It’s the same thing as giving employees the keys to only the doors necessary to perform the tasks needed for the job.
The accounting department, for instance, might see the company’s financial documents, but customer databases are off-limits, and the marketing department might see customer details without accessing the company’s funds. This compartmentalization means that if the security in any one account is violated, the damage is contained to that area, so the damage is minimized.
2. Awareness and Training
Human error remains the most prevalent cause of security breaches. Therefore, frequent security awareness and employee education are mandated by NIST 800-171. These courses intend to build a “human firewall” by having employees trained to recognize and report threats.
The training covers recognizing phishing, using proper password techniques, and following established security protocols. By supporting a security-aware culture, businesses can significantly reduce the risks involved in accidental breaches and prepare employees to be the first and most effective defense against cyber-attacks.
3. Audit and Accountability
Monitoring and tracking who accesses sensitive information are necessary to recognize and combat suspicious activity. NIST 800-171 prioritizes proper audit and accountability, which implies tracking who uses the information and how.
This activity provides an audit trail, and by detecting patterns, abnormalities, heavy use in the sense of the data downloaded, and use at off-hours, businesses can recognize and remedy security incidents in real-time and, consequently, maintain the integrity of the information systems.
4. Configuration Management
Proper configuration management is crucial for the security of organizational tech infrastructure. NIST 800-171 encourages proper configuration recording in systems, controlled modification deployment, and regular audits to determine the security of configurations.
The preventive measure ensures security loopholes created by unintended and unauthorized modifications. By making a detailed record of the parameters and modifications in the system available, companies are in a position to identify and remedy the loopholes easily, making the networks resistant to the most current cyber threats.
5. Identification and Authentication
Verifying that users are gaining access to sensitive data is the foundation of security. Organizations are mandated by NIST 800-171 to use rigorous identification and authentication mechanisms to avoid unauthorized entry. This typically means using multi-factor authentication (MFA) whereby users must provide multiple means of confirmation, such as a password and a random, temporary code received by the users’ devices. By incorporating such layers, businesses are assured to safeguard their networks if login details are hacked, and only authorized people gain entry to the essential data.
Conclusion
Compliance with the stipulations outlined in NIST 800-171 is crucial to businesses wishing to maintain the security of their sensitive data. Through the use of significant control areas such as Access Control, Awareness and Training, Audit and Accountability, Configuration Management, and Identification and Authentication, businesses can build a resilient cyber defense.
Not only are the risks associated with data breaches lessened by using these controls, but so are the risks associated with the perception of security and building trust among clients and partners. Ultimately, using NIST 800-171 is an anticipatory move in protecting your company from the constantly developing world of cyber threats.
