The full title of this standard is “NIST Special Publication 800-53 — Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations” (here abbreviated to NIST 800-53)

NIST 800-53 provides a comprehensive catalog of security and privacy controls for federal information systems and organizations. It is widely used as a baseline for risk management, compliance, and system protection in both public and private sectors.

Scope and core concepts

  • Defines families of controls covering access, audit, incident response, system integrity, and privacy.
  • Supports risk-based selection and tailoring of controls for different environments and impact levels.
  • Emphasizes continuous monitoring, assessment, and improvement.

Why it matters for qualities

  • Primary qualities: security, reliability, privacy.
  • Supports operability and maintainability through structured processes and documentation.

When to use

  • Federal agencies and contractors (mandatory in the United States).
  • Organizations seeking a robust, recognized security and privacy framework.

References and resources

What is NIST?

NIST stands for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It is a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST is responsible for developing standards, guidelines, and publications to assist federal agencies (and increasingly, the private sector) in securing information and information systems. NIST is well known for its 800-series Special Publications, which address various aspects of cybersecurity and compliance.