Cybersecurity Frameworks: Key Features and Benefits

A look at recent headlines proves that no industry is safe from ransomware attacks and sophisticated cyberattacks.

These threats—and those still being crafted by creative attackers—continue to keep cybersecurity professionals awake at night. That’s why security teams need to have every tool at their disposal to protect their critical information, customer data, and reputation.

One powerful weapon that organizations can use to strengthen their security posture is a cybersecurity framework, which gives their security teams a consistent and methodical approach to protecting their IT infrastructure and digital assets.

However, there are a lot of frameworks out there, and not all are applicable for every security goal.

Keep reading to learn about some of the most common cybersecurity frameworks and what they can do for your organization.

How are cybersecurity frameworks used?

Although their approaches, formats, depths, and terminologies may vary, cybersecurity frameworks generally provide a consistent and structured way for organizations to think about their security controls, policies, and processes.

When used as a guide to shape or refine security programs, these frameworks help organizations to:

• Identify assets and risks: Cybersecurity frameworks can establish controls or processes to help identify critical digital assets, document both internal and external risks, and prioritize mitigations to lessen their potential impact.
• Develop security measures: Frameworks guide the implementation of access controls, security awareness training, network segmentation, data protection strategies, and continuous security assessments aligned with organizational needs. Frameworks can also identify checkpoints when measures need to be evaluated and refined to adjust to changes in operations.
• Enhance threat detection: Frameworks can help with the implementation and configuration of security monitoring tools. For example, frameworks can suggest rules, triggers, and alert criteria for potential cyberthreats before they cause damage.
• Establish incident response plans: Organizations can use frameworks to develop and refine their response and mitigation strategies to minimize the impact of security breaches. Cybersecurity frameworks can also summarize best practices and accelerate the development of these plans.
• Improve communication: Cybersecurity frameworks help to establish communication channels to facilitate information exchanges between IT teams, leadership, and external stakeholders to ensure security policies align with business objectives.

What Are Some Common Cybersecurity Frameworks?

There are many cybersecurity frameworks out there; some of them are industry-specific while others focus on just one element of security (e.g., risk management, threat assessment, or information security management systems).

Here are four of the most commonly known cybersecurity frameworks:

NIST Special Publication 800-53

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53 was created to provide security teams with a comprehensive catalog of security and privacy controls. Security teams, primarily in the federal information systems security industry, use the NIST SP 800-53 to organize security risks, standardize security controls, and identify guidelines for implementing security measures based on a risk’s potential impact.

MITRE ATT&CK

Assessing the vulnerability of your attack surface and digital assets can seem overwhelming without an organized method. The MITRE ATT&CK framework is more of a globally recognized and supported knowledge base that outlines known adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) by the type or target of an attack.

Security teams can use the MITRE ATT&CK framework to better understand cyberthreats, improve their security posture, and evaluate the strength of their security controls against real-world attack scenarios.

NIST Special Publication 800-207

The NIST Special Publication 800-207 framework outlines the core elements and principles organizations can use to implement a Zero Trust Architecture. Zero Trust is a security model that is built upon the assumption that no network traffic should be implicitly trusted and user or system access should be continuously verified before it is granted.

ISO 27001 and 27002

The ISO 27001 and 27002 standards guide organizations in establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving their information security management systems (ISMS). These internationally recognized frameworks are particularly focused on enhancing data security and compliance efforts.

Bringing It All Together

As with many aspects of cybersecurity, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to cybersecurity frameworks. In some cases, cybersecurity frameworks can be used together to inform different security decisions or fill a gap that another approach does not cover.

The key is to identify and implement cybersecurity frameworks that best fit your organization's security goals and needs so your team can be better able to stay ahead of evolving cyberthreats.

Want to learn more about how to implement the comprehensive network protection that the NIST Special Publication 800-207 framework and its Zero Trust principles can provide your organization?

You can learn more in Zentera’s complimentary, comprehensive guide here:

Learn more about Zero Trust Architecture