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Cybersecurity has become a paramount concern for businesses of all sizes as cyber-attacks continue to rise. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks as larger businesses typically have robust security processes. Thus, SMBs face a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing cybersecurity risks, due to limited resources and an ever-evolving threat landscape, SMBs often find themselves in a precarious position.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 (NIST CSF 2.0) is an easy-to-use framework that not only addresses future risks but also provides risk management blueprints for organisations regardless of their size.
The NIST CSF 2.0 is a voluntary framework that provides a robust set of guidelines for organisations to manage and mitigate cybersecurity risk effectively. Developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the framework is designed to be flexible and adaptable to the specific needs of each organisation. It represents an evolution from its predecessor, incorporating feedback from users and updates to reflect changes in the cybersecurity landscape.
NIST was originally created to aid critical national infrastructure (CNI) organisations but its clarity and thoroughness in highlighting cybersecurity best practices made it one of the most popular frameworks among US and global organisations – whatever the sector.
The NIST framework was first published in 2014 but its first significant refresh is currently underway in a new public draft version, ready for publication in early 2024.
The NIST CSF 2.0 is composed of six key functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover.
Each function is further divided into categories and subcategories that detail specific outcomes related to each function. These components provide a strategic view of an organisation’s management of cybersecurity risk, allowing for a comprehensive and holistic approach to cybersecurity.
A new function added to NIST 2.0. This extra layer augments the existing five functions by emphasising the importance of governance in cybersecurity. This new addition aligns the NIST framework more closely with ISO 27001, a globally recognised standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).
The ‘Govern’ function includes people, process and technology elements that cover the roles, responsibilities, policies, procedures and oversight in addition to the technology throughout the implementation of NST 2.0. This incorporates multiple categories which were under the ‘Identify’ function in the original framework including Business Environment, Risk Management Strategy and Supply Chain Risk Management.
‘Identify’ comprises of three core goals for organisations:
1. Identify your assets (from hardware, software, services to data to facilities and people)
2. Understand the cybersecurity risks to the organisation, its assets and individuals
3. Identify improvements to its cybersecurity risk management processes, procedures and activities
SMBs need an understanding of business context, the resources that support critical functions, and the related cybersecurity risks enable your organisation to focus and prioritise your efforts in conjunction with risk management strategy and business needs.
Covering a range of safeguards for preventing or reducing cybersecurity risk, the ‘Protect’ function includes managing identities and their access rights, requiring authentication, protecting data, securing platforms, and ensuring infrastructure resilience, as well as promoting cybersecurity awareness amongst users.
This function supports the ability to limit or contact the impact of a potential cybersecurity event and outcomes within an organisation. Outcomes for ‘protect’ could include:
- Empowering staff through awareness training including role-based and privileged user training
- Establishing data security protection consistent with the organisation’s risk strategy to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
- Protecting organisational resources through maintenance
The ‘Detect’ function defines the activities to identify the occurrence of a cybersecurity event to ensure timely discover of cybersecurity events.
Outcomes within this function can include ensuring anomalies and events are detected so that their potential impact is understood and implementing security continuous monitoring capabilities to monitor cybersecurity events and verify the effectiveness of protective measures including network and physical activities.
This function details all the appropriate activities to act regarding a detected cybersecurity incident and aids organisations to contain the impact of a potential cybersecurity incident and assure critical infrastructure services remain available. Some of the activities in ‘respond’ include:
- Identity management, authentication and access control – Ensure that only authorised users, processes and devices can access physical and logical assets and associated facilities
- Awareness and training – All users should be informed and trained and privileged users must understand their roles and responsibilities
- Data security – Manage data with a data risk strategy to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
Lastly, the ‘Recover’ function identifies activities to restore any capabilities or services impaired due to a cybersecurity incident.
- Recovery planning – maintain recovery processes and procedures to restore systems or assets affected
- Improvements – incorporate lessons learnt into future activities
- Continuous monitoring – Monitor and check for anomalies on a continuous basis and verify the effectiveness of your protective measures
- Communications – coordinate restoration activities with key stakeholders internally and externally
For SMBs, the NIST CSF 2.0 is an incredibly valuable resource, it provides a structured and systematic approach to managing cybersecurity risks, ensuring compliance with best practices and standards, and enhancing resilience against cyber threats. By adopting the framework, SMBs can significantly improve their cybersecurity posture, protect their valuable assets, and instil confidence in their customers and partners.
The benefits of adopting the NIST CSF 2.0 for SMBs are manifold. It provides a clear roadmap for improving cybersecurity, helps identify gaps in current security practices, and offers a common language for communicating with stakeholders about cybersecurity issues. Moreover, it aligns with various regulatory requirements, helping SMBs maintain compliance.
We provide continuous Security Assurance Assessments which are aligned with this industry standard to support SMBs.
By partnering with us, you can leverage the power of the NIST CSF 2.0 to fortify your cybersecurity defences, mitigate risks, and ensure the continuity and success of your business in the face of cyber threats - contact us today.
