Information SecurityUnited States

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 is the most comprehensive security and privacy control catalog published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It contains over 1,000 individual controls across 20 control families, covering security and privacy requirements for federal information systems and organisations. While mandatory for US federal agencies under FISMA, it is widely adopted by defence contractors, critical infrastructure operators, and organisations seeking the most granular control framework available.

Overview

What is NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

NIST Special Publication 800-53 Revision 5 is a catalog of security and privacy controls for information systems and organisations. Published in September 2020, it is the most granular and comprehensive control framework available, with over 1,000 individual controls and control enhancements organised into 20 families. It serves as the primary control catalog for US federal agencies under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and forms the foundation for FedRAMP, the cloud security programme for federal systems.

What are the 20 control families?

NIST 800-53 organises controls into 20 families, each addressing a specific area of security or privacy:

AC: Access Control and AU: Audit and Accountability cover who can access what and how access is logged
AT: Awareness and Training and PS: Personnel Security address the human element of security
CA: Assessment, Authorization and Monitoring and PL: Planning cover the governance lifecycle
CM: Configuration Management and MA: Maintenance address system hardening and upkeep
CP: Contingency Planning and IR: Incident Response cover resilience and recovery
IA: Identification and Authentication and SC: System and Communications Protection address technical controls
MP: Media Protection and PE: Physical and Environmental Protection cover physical security
RA: Risk Assessment and SA: System and Services Acquisition address risk management in procurement
SI: System and Information Integrity covers vulnerability management, monitoring, and software integrity
PM: Program Management provides organisation-level security programme controls
PT: PII Processing and Transparency and SR: Supply Chain Risk Management were added in Rev 5

How does NIST 800-53 relate to FedRAMP?

FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) uses NIST 800-53 as its control baseline. FedRAMP defines three impact levels: Low (125 controls), Moderate (325 controls), and High (421 controls), each drawn from the NIST 800-53 catalog. Cloud Service Providers seeking FedRAMP authorization must implement the applicable baseline and undergo assessment by a Third Party Assessment Organization (3PAO). Understanding NIST 800-53 is therefore essential for any CSP serving US government customers.

How does NIST 800-53 map to ISO 27001?

NIST 800-53 is significantly more granular than ISO 27001: over 1,000 controls versus 93 Annex A controls. However, the mapping is well-established. Most ISO 27001 controls map to multiple NIST 800-53 controls, while many NIST 800-53 controls (particularly the detailed enhancements) have no direct ISO 27001 equivalent. Our database contains 597 framework mappings for NIST 800-53, helping organisations understand which NIST controls are already covered by their existing ISO 27001 implementation.

Key Controls

ID	Control	Description
AC-1	Access Control Policy and Procedures	Develop, document, disseminate, and periodically review and update access control policy and procedures.
AC-2	Account Management	Define and manage information system accounts, including establishing, activating, modifying, reviewing, disabling, and removing accounts.
AU-2	Event Logging	Identify the types of events the system is capable of logging and coordinate the event logging function with other entities.
CA-2	Control Assessments	Assess the controls in the system and its environment of operation to determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly.
CM-6	Configuration Settings	Establish and document configuration settings for components employed within the system using security configuration checklists.
IA-2	Identification and Authentication	Uniquely identify and authenticate organisational users and associate that identity with processes acting on behalf of those users.
IR-4	Incident Handling	Implement an incident handling capability including preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication, and recovery.
RA-5	Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning	Monitor and scan for vulnerabilities in the system and hosted applications and remediate discovered vulnerabilities.

Domains

SA - System and Services Acquisition

MP - Media Protection

PL - Planning

CM - Configuration Management

IR - Incident Response

Compare NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 vs ISO 27001:2022View comparison →

Implementation Guides

NIST 800-53 ControlsStep-by-step guide →

Compare NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 vs ISO 27001:2022View comparison →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 vs SOC 2View comparison →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 vs NIST CSF 2.0View comparison →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 vs GDPRView comparison →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 vs HIPAAView comparison →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 vs PCI DSS 4.0View comparison →

Data Classification Taxonomy Integration with NIST SP 800-60 Information Types and ISO 27001:2022 Asset Management: Complete Information Asset Protection FrameworkNIST SP 800-60 information categorization and ISO 27001:2022 asset management controls provide complementary approaches to data classification that require integrated implementation for comprehensive information protection. This framework addresses classification methodologies, control selection, and continuous asset management processes.

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 High Impact System Controls Integration with FedRAMP High Authorization Requirements: Complete Federal Government Cloud Security ImplementationFederal agencies implementing cloud services require precise alignment between NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 high impact controls and FedRAMP High authorization requirements to achieve ATO status. This comprehensive framework integration addresses the 421 security controls and enhancements needed for classified and mission-critical federal cloud deployments.

Azure DevOps Security Configuration Alignment with NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 Controls: Complete CI/CD Pipeline Hardening ImplementationAzure DevOps environments require comprehensive security hardening aligned with NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 control families to meet federal compliance requirements. This implementation guide provides detailed configuration procedures, automated compliance checking, and continuous monitoring strategies for secure software development lifecycle management.

Zero Trust Network Segmentation Implementation: Mapping NIST SP 800-207 Principles to CIS Controls v8 for Micro-SegmentationNIST SP 800-207 zero trust architecture requires fundamental changes to network segmentation strategies, moving from perimeter-based security to identity-centric micro-segmentation. This implementation guide maps zero trust principles to CIS Controls v8 safeguards for systematic deployment in enterprise environments.

$297 USD

RAG Pipeline Design for Regulatory ComplianceProfessional

$249 USD

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 by Industry

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Healthcare→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Financial Services→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Technology→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Government→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Manufacturing→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Energy→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Retail→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Education→

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 by Role

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for CISOs→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Compliance Officers→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Risk Managers→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for IT Directors→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for DPOs→NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 for Auditors→

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

Security and privacy controls for information systems and organizations.

How many controls does NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 have?

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 contains 172 controls organized across 18 domains.

Where does NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 apply?

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 is applicable in United States. Organizations operating in or serving customers in this jurisdiction should evaluate its requirements.

What frameworks does NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 map to?

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 has control-to-control mappings with 597 other compliance frameworks in our database. Use our compliance platform to explore these mappings interactively.

How do I get started with NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 compliance?

Start by understanding the framework's key controls and domains. Our compliance platform provides AI-powered gap analysis and mapping tools to help you assess your current posture and build a remediation plan.

How ready are you for NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

Answer 25 questions and get a professional readiness report with gap analysis, maturity scores, and prioritised action items. Results in 5 minutes.

Explore Platform Free

Information SecurityUnited States

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Overview

What is NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

What are the 20 control families?

NIST 800-53 organises controls into 20 families, each addressing a specific area of security or privacy:

AC: Access Control and AU: Audit and Accountability cover who can access what and how access is logged
AT: Awareness and Training and PS: Personnel Security address the human element of security
CA: Assessment, Authorization and Monitoring and PL: Planning cover the governance lifecycle
CM: Configuration Management and MA: Maintenance address system hardening and upkeep
CP: Contingency Planning and IR: Incident Response cover resilience and recovery
IA: Identification and Authentication and SC: System and Communications Protection address technical controls
MP: Media Protection and PE: Physical and Environmental Protection cover physical security
RA: Risk Assessment and SA: System and Services Acquisition address risk management in procurement
SI: System and Information Integrity covers vulnerability management, monitoring, and software integrity
PM: Program Management provides organisation-level security programme controls
PT: PII Processing and Transparency and SR: Supply Chain Risk Management were added in Rev 5

How does NIST 800-53 relate to FedRAMP?

How does NIST 800-53 map to ISO 27001?

Key Controls

ID	Control	Description
AC-1	Access Control Policy and Procedures	Develop, document, disseminate, and periodically review and update access control policy and procedures.
AC-2	Account Management	Define and manage information system accounts, including establishing, activating, modifying, reviewing, disabling, and removing accounts.
AU-2	Event Logging	Identify the types of events the system is capable of logging and coordinate the event logging function with other entities.
CA-2	Control Assessments	Assess the controls in the system and its environment of operation to determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly.
CM-6	Configuration Settings	Establish and document configuration settings for components employed within the system using security configuration checklists.
IA-2	Identification and Authentication	Uniquely identify and authenticate organisational users and associate that identity with processes acting on behalf of those users.
IR-4	Incident Handling	Implement an incident handling capability including preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication, and recovery.
RA-5	Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning	Monitor and scan for vulnerabilities in the system and hosted applications and remediate discovered vulnerabilities.

Domains

SA - System and Services Acquisition

MP - Media Protection

PL - Planning

CM - Configuration Management

IR - Incident Response

Compare NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 vs ISO 27001:2022View comparison →

Implementation Guides

NIST 800-53 ControlsStep-by-step guide →

Compare NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

$297 USD

RAG Pipeline Design for Regulatory ComplianceProfessional

$249 USD

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 by Industry

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 by Role

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

Security and privacy controls for information systems and organizations.

How many controls does NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 have?

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 contains 172 controls organized across 18 domains.

Where does NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 apply?

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 is applicable in United States. Organizations operating in or serving customers in this jurisdiction should evaluate its requirements.

What frameworks does NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 map to?

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 has control-to-control mappings with 597 other compliance frameworks in our database. Use our compliance platform to explore these mappings interactively.

How do I get started with NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 compliance?

How ready are you for NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

Answer 25 questions and get a professional readiness report with gap analysis, maturity scores, and prioritised action items. Results in 5 minutes.

Explore Platform Free

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Overview

What is NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

What are the 20 control families?

How does NIST 800-53 relate to FedRAMP?

How does NIST 800-53 map to ISO 27001?

Key Controls

Domains

Compare NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Implementation Guides

Compare NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Related Articles

Related Courses

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 by Industry

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 by Role

Frequently Asked Questions

How ready are you for NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Overview

What is NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?

What are the 20 control families?

How does NIST 800-53 relate to FedRAMP?

How does NIST 800-53 map to ISO 27001?

Key Controls

Domains

Compare NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Implementation Guides

Compare NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

Related Articles

Related Courses

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 by Industry

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 by Role

Frequently Asked Questions

How ready are you for NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5?