What does the NIST Cyber Security Framework include as its primary categories?

The NIST Cyber Security Framework is structured around five primary categories: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. Each category serves a crucial role in helping organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risk.

The 'Identify' category focuses on understanding organizational environments to manage cybersecurity risk effectively. It involves asset management, governance, risk assessment, and understanding the cybersecurity policies that are needed.

'Protect' encompasses safeguards that ensure critical infrastructure services are delivered. This includes access control, awareness training, and data security measures necessary to protect data from unauthorized access or breaches.

The 'Detect' category involves timely discovery of cybersecurity events. It emphasizes the importance of implementing appropriate activities to identify the occurrence of a cybersecurity incident quickly.

'Respond' deals with taking action regarding a detected cybersecurity incident. It includes responses such as mitigation, planning, and communication during an event, which is crucial for minimizing impact.

Finally, the 'Recover' category emphasizes the importance of restoring any capabilities or services that were impaired due to a cybersecurity incident. This includes recovery planning and improvements based on lessons learned for future resilience.

Understanding these categories is essential for establishing a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, aligned with NIST's framework that aims to enhance organizational security and resilience.