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Fail Secure

What is Fail Secure?

A design principle where a system defaults to a secure state when a failure occurs, maintaining protection even during malfunction.

Information Security

Frameworks that govern fail secure

ISO 27001:2022View framework →NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0View framework →CIS Controls v8View framework →

What the standards actually require on fail secure

Requirements naming fail secure across 5 standards, quoted from the control text.

FedRAMP High1 control

Boundary Protection | Fail Secure. Prevent systems from entering unsecure states in the event of an operational failure of a boundary protection device

SC-7(18) · Boundary Protection | Fail Secure (SC-7(18)) →
FedRAMP Moderate1 control

Boundary Protection | Fail Secure. Prevent systems from entering unsecure states in the event of an operational failure of a boundary protection device

SC-7(18) · Boundary Protection | Fail Secure (SC-7(18)) →
NIST SP 800-53 Rev 51 control

Prevent systems from entering unsecure states in the event of an operational failure of a boundary protection device.

NIST800-SC-7(18) · SC-7(18) Boundary Protection | Fail Secure →
NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 HIGH1 control

Prevent systems from entering unsecure states in the event of an operational failure of a boundary protection device.

nist-sp-800-53-revision-5-1-high::SC-7(18) · SC-7(18) Boundary Protection | Fail Secure →
IEC 624431 control

A process shall be employed to ensure the product design applies secure design principles: least privilege, defense in depth, secure defaults, minimised attack surface, economy of mechanism, fail secure and the other principles the standard lists, with the des...

iec-62443::SD-1 · Secure design principles →

Questions people ask about fail secure

What is Fail Secure?
A design principle where a system defaults to a secure state when a failure occurs, maintaining protection even during malfunction.
Why is Fail Secure important for compliance?
Fail Secure is a key concept in Information Security. Understanding fail secure helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 1,016 frameworks with 316K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Fail Secure?
Fail Secure appears in the requirement text of FedRAMP High, FedRAMP Moderate, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 HIGH, IEC 62443. Across these standards we have identified 5 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Fail Secure?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how fail secure applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 1,016 frameworks.

See how Fail Secure applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 1,016 frameworks with 316K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

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Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.