Framework for Improving Critical 

Infrastructure Cybersecurity

Implementation of Executive Order 13636

8 April 2015

cyberframework@nist.gov
Agenda

• Mission of NIST

• Cybersecurity at NIST

• Cybersecurity Framework

• The Executive Order

• Our Development Approach

• Basic Framework Components

• Roadmap Items

• Observations about Framework Use in Industry

• Applying Framework

• Getting Started

• Assessing New Technologies

• Future Plans

• Discussion & Question-Answer

3
About NIST

• Part of the U.S. Department of 

Commerce

• NIST’s mission is to develop 

and promote measurement, 

standards, and technology to 

enhance productivity, facilitate 

trade, and improve the quality 

of life.

• 3,000 employees

• 2,700 guest researchers

• 1,300 field staff in partner 

organizations 

• Two main locations: 

Gaithersburg, MD and 

Boulder, CO

NIST Priority Research Areas

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Advanced Manufacturing

IT and Cybersecurity

Healthcare

Forensic Science

Disaster Resilience

Cyber-physical Systems

Advanced 

Communications

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• Role in cybersecurity began in 1972 with the development of the Data Encryption 

Standard – began when commercial sector also has a legitimate need for 

cryptography, including in ATMs. 

• Charter for both public and private sectors

• Non-regulatory

• Using widely-accepted standards helps create competitive markets around market 

need through combinations of price, quality, performance, and value to consumers. It 

then promotes faster diffusion of these technologies throughout industry.

• Ensure timely availability of standards, and associated testing, that address 

identified NIST IT Laboratory priorities, including national priorities established in 

statute or administration policy;

• Achieve cost-efficient, timely and effective solutions to legitimate regulatory, 

procurement and policy objectives;

• Promote standards and standardization systems that enable innovation and foster 

US competitiveness; and

• Facilitate international trade and avoid the creation of unnecessary obstacles to 

trade.

5

The Role of NIST
Executive Order: 

Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

“It is the policy of the United States to enhance the security and resilience of 

the Nation’s critical infrastructure and to maintain a cyber environment that 

encourages efficiency, innovation, and economic prosperity while promoting 

safety, security, business confidentiality, privacy, and civil liberties” 

President Barack Obama 

Executive Order 13636, Feb. 12, 2013

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was directed to 

work with stakeholders to develop a voluntary framework for reducing cyber 

risks to critical infrastructure

• Version 1.0 of the framework was released on Feb. 12, 2014, along with a 

roadmap for future work

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Based on the Executive Order, the Cybersecurity 

Framework Must

• Include a set of standards, methodologies, procedures, and 

processes that align policy, business, and technological approaches 

to address cyber risks

• Provide a prioritized, flexible, repeatable, performance-based, and 

cost-effective approach, including information security measures 

and controls, to help owners and operators of critical infrastructure

identify, assess, and manage cyber risk 

• Identify areas for improvement to be addressed through future 

collaboration with particular sectors and standards-developing 

organizations 

• Be consistent with voluntary international standards

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Development of the Framework

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Engage the 

Framework 

Stakeholders

Collect, 

Categorize, 

and Post RFI 

Responses

Analyze RFI 

Responses

Identify 

Framework 

Elements

Prepare and 

Publish 

Framework

EO 13636 Issued – February 12, 2013 

NIST Issues RFI – February 26, 2013

1

st Framework Workshop – April 03, 2013

Completed – April 08, 2013

Identify Common Practices/Themes – May 15, 2013

2

nd Framework Workshop at CMU – May 2013

Draft Outline of Preliminary Framework – June 2013

3

rd Workshop at UCSD – July 2013

4

th Workshop at UT Dallas – September 2013

5

th Workshop at NC State – November 2013

Published Framework – February 2014

Ongoing Engagement:

Open public comment 

and review encouraged 

and promoted throughout 

the process

cyberframework@nist.gov
Framework Components

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Describes how cybersecurity 

risk is managed by an organization 

and degree the risk management 

practices exhibit key characteristics

Aligns industry standards and 

best practices to the Framework 

Core in a particular 

implementation scenario

Supports prioritization and 

measurement while 

factoring in business 

needs

Cybersecurity activities and 

informative references, 

organized around particular 

outcomes 

Enables 

communication of cyber 

risk across an 

organization 

Framework 

Core

Framework 

Implementation 

Tiers

Framework 

Profile
Framework Core

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What assets need protection?

What safeguards are 

available?

What techniques can identify 

incidents?

What techniques can contain 

impacts of incidents?

What techniques can restore 

capabilities?
Framework Core Excerpt

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Framework Profile

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• Alignment of Functions, Categories, and Subcategories 

with business requirements, risk tolerance, and resources 

of the organization

• Enables organizations to establish a roadmap for reducing 

cybersecurity risk that is well aligned with organizational 

and sector goals, considers legal/regulatory requirements 

and industry best practices, and reflects risk management 

priorities

• Can be used to describe current state or desired target 

state of cybersecurity activities
Framework from Executives to Operations

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Framework Implementation Tiers

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• Feedback indicated the need for the Framework to allow for 

flexibility in implementation and bring in concepts of maturity 

models.

• Responding to feedback, Framework Implementation Tiers 

were proposed to reflect how an organization implements 

the Framework Core functions and manages its risk.

• The Tiers are progressive, ranging from Partial (Tier 1) to 

Adaptive (Tier 4), with each Tier building on the previous 

Tier.

• The Tier characteristics are defined at the organizational 

level and are applied to the Framework Core to determine 

how a category is implemented.
Uses of the Cybersecurity Framework

The Framework is designed to complement existing business and 

cybersecurity operations, and can be used to:

• Understand security status

• Establish / Improve a cybersecurity program

• Communicate cybersecurity requirements with stakeholders, 

including partners and suppliers

• Identify opportunities for new or revised standards 

• Identify tools and technologies to help organizations use the 

Framework

• Integrate privacy and civil liberties considerations into a 

cybersecurity program

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Business Value of Cybersecurity Framework

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Benefits Features

• Reduces time and expense 

of starting an information 

security program

• Reduces risk within current 

information security 

programs by identifying 

areas for improvement

• Increases efficiencies and 

reduce the possibility of 

miscommunication within 

your information security 

program and with other 

organizations such as 

partners, suppliers, 

regulators, and auditors

• Organizes reconciliation and deconfliction of legislation, regulation, 

policy, and industry best practice (Core)

• Guides organization and management of 

and information security program (Core)

• Measures current state and expresses 

desired state (Profile)

• Enables investment decisions to address 

gaps in current state (Profile)

• Communicates cybersecurity

requirements with stakeholders, 

including partners and suppliers (Profile)

• Enables informed trade-off analysis of 

expenditure versus risk (Tiers)
Key Points about the Cybersecurity Framework

• It’s a framework, not a prescription

• It provides a common language and systematic methodology for 

managing cyber risk 

• It does not tell a company how much cyber risk is tolerable, nor 

does it claim to provide “the one and only” formula for 

cybersecurity

• Having a common lexicon to enable action across a very diverse 

set of stakeholders will enable the best practices of elite 

companies to become standard practices for everyone

• The framework is a living document

• It is intended to be updated over time as stakeholders learn from 

implementation, and as technology and risks change

• That’s one reason why the framework focuses on questions an 

organization needs to ask itself to manage its risk. While 

practices, technology, and standards will change over time—

principals will not

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Where Should I Start?

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Framework Version 1.0, Section 3.2, Step 1: 

Prioritize and Scope. The organization identifies its 

business/mission objectives and high-level 

organizational priorities. With this information, the 

organization makes strategic decisions regarding 

cybersecurity implementations and determines the 

scope of systems and assets that support the selected 

business line or process. The Framework can be 

adapted to support the different business lines or 

processes within an organization, which may have 

different business needs and associated risk tolerance.

(2b) Risk Management Strategy 

(ID.RM): The organization’s priorities, 

constraints, risk tolerances, and 

assumptions are established and used to 

support operational risk decisions.

(1) Business Environment (ID.BE): The 

organization’s mission, objectives, 

stakeholders, and activities are understood 

and prioritized; this information is used to 

inform cybersecurity roles, responsibilities, 

and risk management decisions.

(2a) Governance (ID.GV): The policies, 

procedures, and processes to manage and 

monitor the organization’s regulatory, legal, 

risk, environmental, and operational 

requirements are understood and inform the 

management of cybersecurity risk

Operate & Maintain
Key Questions for New Technologies

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Overarching

Question Question Who

Decision 

Materials

Proceed?

Will implementing the technology help me fulfill mission 

priorities? Mission ID.BE-3

Will implementing the technology adversely affect the mission 

function of my current systems? Technology ID.AM-5

Will implementing the technology introduce untenable risk?

Cyber 

Security

ID.RM2/Profile

Inherent

risks

Proceed now?

Is it possible to implement this technology given my current 

infrastructure? Technology ID.AM-1, 2, 

& 3

How can I minimize risk associated with this new technology:

• in a way that supports my organization’s 

requirements, and

• within my finite budget?

Cyber 

Security

ID.RM2/Profile

Inherent 

risks

How much security is ‘enough’ to implement this new 

technology?

Cyber 

Security

ID.RM2/Profile

Hand-off to 

operations

What do I need to do to ensure on-going risk management of 

this new technology?

Cyber 

Security

Remaining 

Categories
Inherent Risks of Mobile Devices & Bring 

Your Own Device

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• Inventory is difficult

• Organization-supplied, personnel-supplied, hybrid

• Administrative diligence may be unknown or minimal

• Patching, software baseline, security configuration management

• Mobile technologies bring increased possibility of malicious code to 

the enterprise due to increased attack surface and networks

• Devices tend to connect to a large number of networks, the 

majority of which are not managed by the organization

• Lots of spectrum per device (e.g., LTE, WiFi, GPS, Near Field 

Communication, Blue Tooth)

• Possibility of loosing control of organizational information as it is 

transported via mobile device

• Risk assessment before ‘go live’ is impossible and impractical

• Strong potential for personal data to traverse organizational 

networks
Assessing and Minimizing Inherent Risks

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Inventory is difficult
Assessing and Minimizing Inherent Risks

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Personal and 

organizational data is 

co-mingled

ID.GV-3

ID.GV-1
Framework Roadmap Items

• The Executive Order calls for the framework to “identify areas for 

improvement that should be addressed through future collaboration 

with particular sectors and standards-developing organizations” 

• High-priority areas for development, alignment, and collaboration 

were identified based on stakeholder input:

• Authentication 

• Automated Indicator Sharing

• Conformity Assessment 

• Cybersecurity Workforce

• Data Analytics

• Federal Agency Cybersecurity Alignment

• International Aspects, Impacts, and Alignment

• Supply Chain Risk Management

• Technical Privacy Standards

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Since the 12 February 2014 Release of Framework 1.0

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6

th Cybersecurity Framework 

Workshop

Goal: Raise awareness, encourage use as a 

tool, highlight examples of sector-specific efforts, 

implementation efforts, gather feedback

Update on the Cybersecurity Framework

Summary posted that includes analysis of RFI 

responses, feedback from the 6th workshop, an 

update on Roadmap areas, and next steps

Request for Information: Experience with 

the Cybersecurity Framework

Questions focused on: awareness, experiences, and 

roadmap areas

1 Year Anniversary of the Release

NIST Cybersecurity Framework site update to 

include: FAQs, Upcoming Events, and Industry 

Resources. Ongoing, targeted outreach continues

February 13, 2015

White House Releases Fact 

Sheet on Cybersecurity and 

Consumer Protection
Examples of Framework Industry Resources

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The Cybersecurity Framework

in Action: An Intel Use Case

Energy Sector Cybersecurity Framework 

Implementation Guidance

Cybersecurity Guidance 

for Small Firms

Process Control System 

Security Guidance for 

the Water Sector

CFORUM and other online communities of interest
Near Term Framework Activities

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In summary, “Collect, Reflect, and Connect” – understand where 

industry is having success, help others understand those 

successes, and facilitate relationships that support understanding 

and use

• Continue education efforts, including creation of self-help and 

re-use materials for those who are new to the Framework

• Continue awareness and outreach with an eye toward industry 

communities who are still working toward basal Framework 

knowledge and implementation

• Educate on the relationship between Framework and the larger 

risk management process, including how organizations can 

use Tiers

• To allow for adoption, Framework version 2.0 is not planned for 

the near term
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Web site is 

available at http://www.nist.gov

NIST Computer Security Division Computer Security Resource 

Center is available at http://csrc.nist.gov/

The Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

and related news and information are available at 

www.nist.gov/cyberframework

For additional Framework info and help cyberframework@nist.gov

Resources

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