NIST Cybersecurity Framework

Comprehensive guide to NIST cybersecurity frameworks and guidelines with implementation guidance and HIPAA mapping for healthcare organizations.

1,072 Guidelines Indexed 18 Framework Categories 4 Risk Levels

Coverage Overview

Track published NIST guideline coverage by category and framework.

1,072 Guidelines
System Acquisition 206
System and Communications Protection 126
Access Control 123
System and Information Integrity 87
Configuration Management 63
Physical Protection 60
Identification and Authentication 57
Audit and Accountability 56
Contingency Planning 51
Incident Response 38
Supply Chain Risk Management 35
Media Protection 34
Security Assessment 33
Planning 24
Maintenance 23
Personnel Security 23
Risk Assessment 20
Awareness and Training 13
Critical Risk 28
High Risk 880
Medium Risk 149
Low Risk 15
Clear

All Guidelines

1,072 guidelines found

AC-5 High

Separation of Duties

AC-5 requires separating duties of individuals to reduce the risk of malevolent activity without collusion, documenting separations of duties for… ...

AC-5(1) Critical

Dual Authorization for Critical Functions

AC-5(1) enhances AC-5 by focusing on dual authorization for critical functions. Require two authorized persons for critical conflicting or… ...

AC-5(2) High

Data Processing Separation

AC-5(2) enhances AC-5 by focusing on data processing separation. Separate duties across data processing stages (collect, process, release) so no… ...

AC-6 High

Least Privilege

AC-6 requires employing the principle of least privilege by allowing only authorized accesses for users (or processes acting on behalf of users) that… ...

AC-6(1) Critical

AC-6(1) Authorize Access to Security Functions

AC-6(1) requires authorizing access to organization-defined security functions and security-relevant information. Unlike general least privilege… ...

AC-6(10) Critical

AC-6(10) Prohibit Non-Privileged Users from Executing Privileged Functions

AC-6(10) requires prohibiting non-privileged users from executing privileged functions to include disabling, circumventing, or altering security… ...

AC-6(2) High

AC-6(2) Non-Privileged Access for Nonsecurity Functions

AC-6(2) requires that users access nonsecurity functions using non-privileged accounts or roles. Clinicians, billers, and even IT staff doing email… ...

AC-6(3) Critical

AC-6(3) Network Access to Privileged Commands

AC-6(3) requires authorizing network access to organization-defined privileged commands only for organization-defined compelling operational needs… ...

AC-6(4) High

AC-6(4) Separate Processing Domains

AC-6(4) requires providing separate processing domains for privileged functions and non-privileged work — via virtualization, dedicated machines… ...

AC-6(5) Critical

AC-6(5) Privileged Accounts

AC-6(5) requires restricting privileged accounts on the system to organization-defined personnel or roles. Healthcare needs named, inventory-managed… ...

AC-6(6) Critical

AC-6(6) Privileged Access by Non-Organizational Users

AC-6(6) requires prohibiting privileged access to the system by non-organizational users — or, where unavoidable, applying organization-defined… ...

AC-6(7) High

AC-6(7) Review of User Privileges

AC-6(7) requires reviewing the privileges assigned to users of organization-defined roles on a defined frequency to validate continuing need… ...

Understanding NIST Framework

Essential information about the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and how it applies to healthcare.

HIPAA Alignment

NIST frameworks provide detailed technical guidance for implementing HIPAA security requirements effectively.

Best Practices

Industry-recognized best practices and implementation guidance from cybersecurity experts.

Continuous Improvement

Framework-based approach enables ongoing assessment and improvement of your security posture.

Guideline Coverage Strategy

For comprehensive implementation, map your selected guidelines to HIPAA safeguards and cover the full lifecycle of identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover activities.

Governance and Risk

Define roles, maintain risk registers, and align controls with policy and audit evidence requirements.

Protect and Detect

Implement hardening, access security, encryption, logging, and alerting with documented validation procedures.

Respond and Recover

Operationalize incident response, communications, and recovery playbooks with regular tabletop testing.

Need Help with NIST Implementation?

Our certified auditors align NIST guidelines with your HIPAA program so one set of controls satisfies both. Compare these guidelines against the HIPAA Security Rule controls they map to, explore our compliance services, or download free implementation templates.