NIST Special Publication 800-53

Comprehensive security and privacy controls catalog from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Rev. 554 Controls Mapped

Overview

NIST SP 800-53 provides a catalog of security and privacy controls for federal information systems and organizations. It serves as the foundation for FedRAMP and is widely adopted across both government and private sectors. The framework organizes controls into families addressing access control, audit and accountability, configuration management, identification and authentication, and more. Revision 5 introduced privacy controls and enhanced integration with other NIST frameworks.

Gold standard for federal security compliance
Comprehensive control coverage across all security domains
Foundation for FedRAMP authorization
Integrates with NIST Cybersecurity Framework
Regularly updated with current threat landscape

Published by

National Institute of Standards and Technology

Official Documentation

TrueConfig Control Mappings

TrueConfig maps 54 security controls to NIST 800-53 requirements, helping you demonstrate compliance and identify gaps.

18

critical

21

high

12

medium

3

low

Identity & Authentication

5 controls

ID-01User MFA Registration
critical
ID-02Block Legacy Authentication
high
ID-03Enable Self-Service Password Reset
medium
ID-05Configure Smart Lockout Protection
high
ID-04Require Phishing-Resistant MFA for All Users
critical

Privileged Access

8 controls

PA-01Limit Global Administrators to 2-4
critical
PA-02Use Dedicated Admin Accounts
high
PA-03Configure Emergency Access Accounts
critical
PA-01-L2Eliminate Permanent Global Administrators
critical
PA-04Require PIM for All Privileged Roles
critical
+3 more controls

Conditional Access

12 controls

CA-01Require MFA via Conditional Access Policy
critical
CA-02Require MFA for All Administrators
critical
CA-08Block Access from High-Risk Countries
medium
CA-11Enforce Session Lifetime Limits for Guests and Admins
medium
DV-01Require Compliant Devices for Admin Access
high
+7 more controls

Workload Identity & Applications

8 controls

APP-01Application Ownership for Apps with Credentials
low
APP-02Enforce Application Credential Expiration
critical
APP-05Service Principal Credential Hygiene
critical
APP-08Restrict User Application Consent
high
APP-03Internal App Registration Permissions
high
+3 more controls

Guest & External Access

7 controls

EXT-01Restrict Guest Invitation Permissions
high
EXT-02Require MFA for Guest Users
medium
EXT-06External Sharing Visibility
medium
EXT-07Detect External Mail Forwarding
critical
EXT-04Configure Guest Access Expiration
medium
+2 more controls

Governance & Hygiene

6 controls

GOV-01Review Stale User Accounts
medium
GOV-05Maintain Group Naming Conventions
low
GOV-07Audit Privileged Role Assignments
high
GOV-02Automatically Disable Stale Accounts
medium
GOV-03Conduct Quarterly Privileged Access Reviews
high
+1 more controls

Logging & Visibility

5 controls

LOG-01Enable Unified Audit Logging
high
LOG-04Configure Privileged Operation Alerts
critical
LOG-02Export Logs to Long-Term Storage
medium
LOG-05Admin Activity Anomaly Detection
high
LOG-03Stream All Security Events to SIEM in Real-Time
high

License Management

1 controls

LIC-01License Utilization Visibility
low

Data Protection

2 controls

DLP-01Enable Sensitive Data Classification
high
DLP-02Block Bulk Data Exfiltration
critical

Who Needs NIST 800-53?

Target Industries

GovernmentDefenseHealthcareFinancial ServicesCritical Infrastructure

Audience Types

governmentregulatedenterprise

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NIST Special Publication 800-53?▼
NIST SP 800-53 provides a catalog of security and privacy controls for federal information systems and organizations. It serves as the foundation for FedRAMP and is widely adopted across both government and private sectors. The framework organizes controls into families addressing access control, audit and accountability, configuration management, identification and authentication, and more. Revision 5 introduced privacy controls and enhanced integration with other NIST frameworks.
How does TrueConfig help with NIST 800-53 compliance?▼
TrueConfig maps 54 security controls to NIST 800-53 requirements. Each control includes specific guidance on how it satisfies NIST 800-53 requirements, making it easier to demonstrate compliance and identify gaps.
Who needs to comply with NIST 800-53?▼
NIST 800-53 is typically required or recommended for government agencies and contractors, organizations in regulated industries, enterprise organizations. Industries that commonly need this framework include government, defense, healthcare.
What are the key benefits of NIST 800-53 compliance?▼
Gold standard for federal security compliance Comprehensive control coverage across all security domains Foundation for FedRAMP authorization Integrates with NIST Cybersecurity Framework Regularly updated with current threat landscape

Related Frameworks

CIS Benchmark

Industry-standard security configuration guide for Microsoft 365 developed by the Center for Internet Security.

53 controls →

FedRAMP

US government program for standardized security assessment of cloud services used by federal agencies.

54 controls →

Zero Trust

Microsoft's security model based on "never trust, always verify" principles for identity, devices, and data.

53 controls →

Automate NIST 800-53 Compliance

TrueConfig continuously monitors your Microsoft 365 tenant against NIST 800-53 requirements and helps you remediate deviations automatically.

Start Free Trial