NIST SP 800-53

LOCATION

United States

industry

Requirements

Achieve Compliance Confidence

Understanding NIST 800-53: A Holistic Control Framework for Federal Systems

NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 outlines 20 interrelated control families that form the bedrock of federal cybersecurity and privacy. Unlike prescriptive standards, 800-53 emphasizes risk-based, scalable controls that can be tailored to information-system impact levels (Low, Moderate, High).

Achieving compliance requires:
Scoping the system boundary and CUI/PII data flows.
Performing risk assessments and selecting baseline controls.
Documenting implementations in an SSP and POA&M.
Conducting security assessments and obtaining an Authority to Operate (ATO).
Operating continuous-monitoring, vulnerability-management, and incident-response programs.

Forgepath streamlines this journey—providing gap analysis, control implementation support, documentation, and ongoing monitoring—to help agencies and contractors secure federal data and maintain audit readiness year-round.

Get The Facts

NIST 800-53 At a Glance

NIST SP 800-53 provides 20 control families that federal agencies and contractors must implement to safeguard information systems and protect U.S. government data.

Requirements

Access Control (AC)

Limit system access to authorized users, processes, devices, and activities.

Awareness & Training (AT)

Ensure personnel know their security responsibilities and receive regular training.

Audit & Accountability (AU)

Generate, protect, and review audit logs to detect and investigate events.

Assessment, Authorization & Monitoring (CA)

Conduct security assessments, grant authorizations to operate, and perform continuous monitoring.

Configuration Management (CM)

Establish baselines, manage changes, and enforce secure configurations.

Contingency Planning (CP)

Prepare for system outages with backup, recovery, and continuity plans.

Identification & Authentication (IA)

Verify user and device identities using strong authentication.

Incident Response (IR)

Detect, report, contain, and remediate cybersecurity incidents.

Maintenance (MA)

Perform timely, secure maintenance on information systems and hardware.

Media Protection (MP)

Safeguard digital and physical media and sanitize or destroy when no longer needed.

Physical & Environmental Protection (PE)

Restrict physical access and protect facilities against environmental hazards.

Planning (PL)

Develop, document, and maintain security plans describing system boundaries and controls.

Program Management (PM)

Establish enterprise-level governance, roles, and resources for cybersecurity.

Personnel Security (PS)

Screen, onboard, and offboard personnel while protecting system access.

PII Processing & Transparency (PT)

Implement privacy controls to protect personally identifiable information.

Risk Assessment (RA)

Identify threats and vulnerabilities and determine likelihood and impact.

Supply-Chain Risk Management (SR)

Manage risks posed by suppliers, components, and service providers.

System & Services Acquisition (SA)

Integrate security into procurement, development, and supply-chain activities.

System & Communications Protection (SC)

Protect data in transit and at rest through encryption, segmentation, and secure protocols.

System & Information Integrity (SI)

Detect, report, and correct information-system flaws and malicious code.

How Forge Path Can Help

Continuous Monitoring & SIEM Integration

Deploy logging, automated alerts, and dashboards to maintain AU and CA continuous-monitoring controls.

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Compliance Management as a Service

Map current controls to all 20 families, score maturity, and build a prioritized POA&M.

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Cloud Systems & Security Manager

Zero.health

Proven Track Record

Forgepath delivered outstanding service on our network and app security tests.
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Cloud Systems & Security Manager
Zero.health

Forgepath delivered outstanding service on both our network penetration test and application security assessment.

When a critical customer need arose, they quickly adjusted their schedule to meet our urgent timeline without compromising quality.

Their technical expertise, clear guidance, and hands-on remediation support helped us meet our EOY goals efficiently.

We were especially impressed by their flexibility, responsiveness, and professionalism throughout the process.

Chief Executive Officer

parsysco.com

Proven Track Record

Forgepath separates themselves from the rest as they’re a true security partner.
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Chief Executive Officer
parsysco.com

Forgepath separates themselves from the rest as they’re a true security partner to Parsysco. They took the time to understand our requirements and how things were working with our previous provider.

We were impressed by how quickly they formulated a new strategy and approach. They helped us identify our challenges and consistently brought forward solutions that were in Parsysco’s best interest.

Most vendors only care about selling something, Forgepath took the personal relationship and partnership approach that we value greatly.

Ready to Get Started?

Operationalize NIST 800-53 with Forgepath

Protect federal data, earn trust, and stay audit-ready. Forgepath helps you interpret, implement, and sustain NIST 800-53 controls—delivering clear documentation, automated monitoring, and expert guidance for continuous compliance.

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