NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

What NIST CSF is (in plain English)

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a voluntary set of guidelines developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. Unlike SOC 2 or ISO 27001, there's no certification or audit—it's a framework you adopt to structure your security program.

NIST CSF is widely recognized as the de facto standard for cybersecurity in the United States. Many organizations use it as their baseline, then layer on compliance requirements (SOC 2, HIPAA, etc.) as needed.

The Five Core Functions

NIST CSF organizes cybersecurity activities into five core functions. Think of them as the lifecycle of managing cyber risk:

• Identify: Understand your assets, business environment, governance, risk assessment, and risk management strategy. You can't protect what you don't know exists.
• Protect: Implement safeguards to ensure delivery of critical services—access control, awareness training, data security, protective technology.
• Detect: Develop capabilities to identify cybersecurity events—anomalies, continuous monitoring, detection processes.
• Respond: Define activities to take action when an incident is detected—response planning, communications, analysis, mitigation, improvements.
• Recover: Maintain plans for resilience and restoration—recovery planning, improvements, communications.

Each function contains categories and subcategories that map to specific controls. You don't need to implement everything—you prioritize based on your risk profile.

NIST CSF 2.0 Updates

In February 2024, NIST released CSF 2.0 with significant updates:

• New "Govern" function: Establishes and monitors the organization's cybersecurity risk management strategy, expectations, and policy. This elevates governance as a core activity.
• Expanded scope: Now explicitly applies to all organizations, not just critical infrastructure.
• Implementation examples: More practical guidance on how to achieve outcomes.
• Improved integration: Better alignment with other NIST publications (800-53, Privacy Framework).

If you're starting fresh, consider building on CSF 2.0 from the beginning.

Who should use NIST CSF (and who shouldn't)

NIST CSF is a good fit if:

• you want a structured approach to security without the overhead of certification
• you're building a security program from scratch and need a roadmap
• your customers or partners reference NIST in their security requirements
• you need a common language for discussing security with leadership
• you're in the U.S. federal supply chain or work with government contractors

You may not need NIST CSF if:

• you already have a mature security program with established controls
• your customers specifically require SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification
• you need a formal audit report to close deals

The power of NIST CSF is its flexibility—it's a foundation you can build on, not a checkbox exercise.

How NIST CSF compares to SOC 2 and ISO 27001

Aspect	NIST CSF	SOC 2	ISO 27001
Type	Framework/guidelines	Attestation report	Certification
Certification available?	No	No (report only)	Yes
Auditor required?	No	Yes (CPA firm)	Yes (accredited body)
Best for	Internal maturity, U.S. government	U.S. enterprise customers	International recognition
Cost	Low (self-assessment)	Medium-High	Medium-High
Flexibility	High	Medium	Lower (prescriptive)

Many organizations use NIST CSF as their internal framework, then demonstrate compliance externally through SOC 2 or ISO 27001 audits.

Building your NIST CSF implementation

A practical path to adopting NIST CSF:

1. Establish scope and context: Define what systems, data, and operations are in scope. Document your business objectives and risk tolerance.
2. Create a Current Profile: Assess where you are today across the five functions. Be honest—gaps are expected.
3. Create a Target Profile: Define where you need to be based on business requirements and risk appetite.
4. Identify gaps: Compare current vs. target to find priority areas.
5. Build an action plan: Sequence improvements based on risk impact and resource availability.
6. Implement and measure: Execute the plan, collect evidence, and track progress over time.

The goal is continuous improvement, not perfection.

Key control areas to focus on

Based on common gaps we see in growing companies:

• Asset inventory: You can't protect what you don't know about. Maintain a current list of hardware, software, and data assets.
• Access management: Enforce least privilege, MFA, and regular access reviews. This maps to both Identify and Protect.
• Vulnerability management: Regular scanning, prioritized remediation, and patching cadence.
• Incident response: Documented playbooks, defined roles, and tested procedures before you need them.
• Backup and recovery: Tested backups, defined RTOs/RPOs, and documented recovery procedures.
• Security awareness: Regular training for all employees, with role-specific content for high-risk roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NIST CSF mandatory?

For most private companies, no. It's a voluntary framework. However, it may be required or strongly encouraged if you work with U.S. federal agencies, critical infrastructure, or defense contractors. Some industries (energy, healthcare) have regulations that reference NIST CSF.

How long does NIST CSF implementation take?

It depends on your starting point. A basic current-state assessment can be done in 2–4 weeks. Building a mature program based on NIST CSF typically takes 6–18 months of incremental work. The framework is designed for continuous improvement, not a one-time project.

Can I get NIST CSF certified?

No. NIST CSF is a framework, not a certification standard. There's no official NIST CSF certificate or audit. However, you can conduct self-assessments, engage third parties for gap assessments, or use NIST CSF as the foundation for other certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001).

How does NIST CSF relate to NIST 800-53?

NIST 800-53 is a detailed catalog of security controls, primarily used by U.S. federal agencies. NIST CSF is a higher-level framework that references 800-53 controls. Think of CSF as the "what to do" and 800-53 as the detailed "how to do it." Most private companies use CSF and don't need the full 800-53 control set.

Do I need NIST CSF if I'm doing SOC 2?

Not necessarily, but they complement each other well. NIST CSF provides a structured way to think about your security program, while SOC 2 provides external assurance to customers. Many companies use NIST CSF internally and SOC 2 externally.

Where CyberPolicify fits

CyberPolicify helps you operationalize NIST CSF without starting from scratch.

Use CyberPolicify to:

• generate policies and procedures mapped to NIST CSF functions and categories
• run gap assessments to identify where you stand across the five core functions
• build a prioritized remediation plan based on your risk profile
• maintain documentation as your program matures (continuous compliance)

Whether you're using NIST CSF as your primary framework or as a foundation for SOC 2/ISO 27001, CyberPolicify gives you the documentation baseline to move faster.