CMMC 2.0 Level 1 vs NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
What is the difference between CMMC 2.0 Level 1 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?
CMMC 2.0 Level 1 is a other framework applying in the United States, with 17 controls across 6 domains. NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 is a information security framework applying in the United States, with 192 controls across 24 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.
CMMC 2.0 into NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
28.7%86 of 300 NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 controls carry evidence from CMMC 2.0, leaving 214 to satisfy separately.
257 candidate mappings were examined and 121 were rejected on review, signed off 2026-08-19.
Read the full crosswalk, including every rejected mapping →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 into CMMC 2.0
85.5%94 of 110 CMMC 2.0 controls carry evidence from NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, leaving 16 to satisfy separately.
222 candidate mappings were examined and 99 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 CMMC 2.0 Level 1 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5
What is the difference between CMMC 2.0 Level 1 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?
Do I need both CMMC 2.0 Level 1 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?
How do CMMC 2.0 Level 1 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 controls map to each other?
Which framework should I implement first, CMMC 2.0 Level 1 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 CMMC 2.0 Level 1 and NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 on our compliance platform.