NIST SP 800-171 Overview and Guides

The NIST SP 800-171 Overview and Guides talks about the NIST Special Publication that provides federal and defense contractors with recommended requirements for protecting the confidentiality of sensitive information that isn’t officially classified. Defense and/or manufacturer contractors are regulated by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). One of the DFARS requirements (clause 252.204-7012) requires all manufacturers and/or defense contractors to comply with the security requirements in NIST SP 800-171. The sensitive information that isn’t officially classified in NIST 800-171 is referred to as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). CUI data includes personal data, intellectual property, equipment specifications, logistical plans, and any other strictly confidential federal defense-related information.

It is important to note that compliance with NIST 800-171 is not limited to defense and/or manufacturer contractors. Any organization that processes or stores sensitive, unclassified information on behalf of the government, such as research institutions, universities that receive federal grants, and government agency service providers, must comply with NIST 800-171 as well.

NIST 800-171 consists of 110 requirements, each focusing on specific areas of the organization. The requirements cover domains such as access control, system configuration, authentication, incident management, vulnerabilities, risk management, etc.

The implementation of each requirement demonstrates proper handling of the CUI stored, transmitted, and shared across and within an organization’s infrastructure.