With the Bank of England declaring they will ‘align to the globally recognised National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework’*, should other financial institutions also be considering the NIST framework to enhance their cyber security resilience?
What is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework?
The NIST Cyber Security Framework was first published in 2014 in response to US President Barack Obama’s Executive Order, ‘Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity’. The risk-based framework quickly became an internationally recognised and widely adopted best practice. The framework recommends organizations conduct specified cyber security activities and provides measurements to assess to what degree an organization has employed these activities.
It is commonly used to review existing cyber security practices and to assist in transforming companies from being reactive to proactive about risk management.
Why align with the NIST Cybersecurity framework?
- The methodical approach to improving cyber security defences and resilience
- An established and widely used framework
- Offers practical guidance
- A customisable framework
How can APMG help you achieve NIST Cybersecurity Framework compliance?
APMG’s Cyber Defence Capability Assessment Tool (CDCAT) is a cutting-edge cyber security assessment technology and service – originally developed by the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).
A CDCAT assessment of your organization’s cyber security defences can be tailored to measure your current set up, against the NIST Cyber Security Framework’s requirements. The framework's requirements have been mapped to CDCAT capabilities. At the end of the assessment you will have a report which highlights what actions you would need to take in order to align with the NIST Cyber Security Framework.
APMG also offers a professional training certification for the NIST Cyber Security Framework. The certification teaches individuals to engineer and implement the framework into an organisation.
CDCAT® is a registered trade mark of Dstl. All rights reserved.
References
*Victoria Cleland, Bank of England, 8 October 2019
