CIS Controls v8 vs NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
What is the difference between CIS Controls v8 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?
CIS Controls v8 is a other framework applying in International, with 153 controls across 18 domains. NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 is a information security framework applying in the United States, with 192 controls across 22 domains. They govern different subjects, so the overlap is limited to the governance requirements they share. The mapping below shows where that is.
Measured coverage between these frameworks
We map controls between these two frameworks in a knowledge graph and have a person review every mapping before it is published. Below is what that review found. The figures are read live from the graph, not written by hand.
CIS Controls v8 into NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
34%102 of 300 NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 controls carry evidence from CIS Controls v8, leaving 198 to satisfy separately.
515 candidate mappings were examined and 306 were rejected on review, signed off 2026-08-19.
Read the full crosswalk, including every rejected mapping →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 into CIS Controls v8
57.5%88 of 153 CIS Controls v8 controls carry evidence from NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, leaving 65 to satisfy separately.
463 candidate mappings were examined and 289 were rejected on review, signed off 2026-08-19.
Read the full crosswalk, including every rejected mapping →Coverage is directional. Mapping A into B is a different measurement from B into A, because the two standards do not carry the same depth on the same subjects.
Questions people ask about CIS Controls v8 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
What is the difference between CIS Controls v8 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?
Do I need both CIS Controls v8 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?
How do CIS Controls v8 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 controls map to each other?
Which framework should I implement first, CIS Controls v8 or NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?
Each framework on its own
Comparisons people read next
Each of these compares one of the two standards above against another it shares controls with.
See all control mappings with interactive gap analysis
Explore the complete mapping between CIS Controls v8 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 on our compliance platform.