NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0, published on February 26, 2024, is a guidance document designed to help industry, government agencies, and other organizations manage cybersecurity risks. Here are some key points about the CSF 2.0:

  • It offers a taxonomy of high-level cybersecurity outcomes that can be used by any organization, regardless of its size, sector, or maturity, to better understand, assess, prioritize, and communicate its cybersecurity efforts.
  • The CSF 2.0 does not prescribe how outcomes should be achieved. Instead, it links to resources that provide additional guidance on practices and controls that could be used to achieve those outcomes.
  • The CSF 2.0 has an expanded scope that goes beyond protecting critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and power plants, to all organizations in any sector.
  • It has a new focus on governance, which encompasses how organizations make and carry out informed decisions on cybersecurity strategy.
  • The CSF 2.0 supports the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 has several key differences from version 1.1:

  1. Expanded Scope: The CSF 2.0 explicitly aims to help all organizations, not just those in critical infrastructure, its original target audience. It is designed for all audiences, industry sectors, and organization types, from the smallest schools and nonprofits to the largest agencies and corporations.
  2. New Function – Govern: A new function, “Govern”, has been added to the CSF 2.0. This recognizes that Cyber Governance is extremely important and something that’s been ignored for too long. The CSFโ€™s governance component emphasizes that cybersecurity is a major source of enterprise risk that senior leaders should consider alongside others such as finance and reputation.
  3. Global Vision: Unlike its predecessor, which had a U.S.-centric approach, the 2.0 version casts a wider net, aiming to serve all organizations globally.
  4. New Resources: NIST has updated the CSFโ€™s core guidance and created a suite of resources to help all organizations achieve their cybersecurity goals, with added emphasis on governance as well as supply chains. These resources are designed to provide different audiences with tailored pathways into the CSF and make the framework easier to put into action.
  5. Simplified Title: The new Framework adopts the straightforward moniker, โ€œCybersecurity Frameworkโ€ moving away from its previous, more elaborate title โ€œFramework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurityโ€œ.
  6. Supports National Cybersecurity Strategy: The CSF 2.0 supports the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

These changes reflect the most recent cybersecurity challenges and management practices, aiming to make the framework even more relevant to a wider swath of users in the United States and abroad.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the official NIST publication