Understanding cybersecurity frameworks is critical for building strong, resilient security programs. Frameworks provide standards, best practices, and structured guidance for protecting information, managing risks, and ensuring compliance. Below is an alphabetized overview of the most widely adopted frameworks in the cybersecurity industry.
CIS – Security Best Practices
The Center for Internet Security Controls offers practical, prioritized cybersecurity best practices to defend against common attacks. The CIS Top 18 Controls, is a prioritized set of defensive actions for organizations.
Visit www.CISecurity.org
FedRAMP – Cloud Security Authorization
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products/services used by federal agencies.
Visit www.fedramp.gov
HIPAA – Healthcare Data Protection
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ensures confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information (PHI) in healthcare organizations such as the
HIPAA Security Rule—administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.
Visit www.hhs.gov
ISO/IEC – Compliance & Audit
The International Organization for Standardization / International Electrotechnical Commission establishes a framework for an Information Security Management System (ISMS) which helps organizations systematically manage sensitive information, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Often used for compliance and audit readiness.
ISO/IEC 27001 is the world’s best-known standard for information security management systems (ISMS). It defines requirements an ISMS must meet and as a standard provides companies of any size and from all sectors of activity with guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an information security management system.
Conformity with ISO/IEC 27001 means that an organization or business has put in place a system to manage risks related to the security of data owned or handled by the company, and that this system respects all the best practices and principles enshrined in this International Standard.
Visit www.ISO.org
MITRE ATT&CK – Threat Simulation & Detection
The MITRE Corporation is a non-profit organization that operates federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) to support U.S. government agencies, particularly in defense, cybersecurity, aviation, and healthcare since 1958.
The MITRE Adversarial Tactics, Techniques & Common Knowledge Framework (ATT&CK) maps adversary tactics and techniques for red teaming, threat hunting, and improving detection/response. It is a knowledge base of adversary behaviors, helping security teams simulate attacks, improve detection, and strengthen defenses.
Visit https://attack.mitre.org/
NIST – Risk Management
The National Institute of Standards and Technology provides guidelines to help organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risk and offers a voluntary framework consisting of five core functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover. Widely used in U.S. government and private sector for risk management.
The NIST Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations (NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5) provides a comprehensive catalog of security and privacy controls that federal information systems (excluding national security systems) can implement to protect organizational operations, assets, individuals, and other organizations. It’s essentially a blueprint for designing, implementing, and maintaining robust cybersecurity and privacy practices.
Visit www.NIST.gov
SOC2 – Data Security & Trust for Service Providers
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) jointly provide service organizational controls 1, 2, and 3.
The Service Organization Control 2 provides auditing standards for service providers handling customer data, focusing on security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Their Trust Service Criteria (TSC), defines requirements for audit compliance.
Visit www.aicpa-cima.com
Cheat Sheet
CIS Controls – Security Best Practices
FedRAMP – Cloud Security Authorization
HIPAA – Healthcare Data Protection
ISO/IEC 27001 – Compliance & Audit
MITRE ATT&CK – Threat Simulation & Detection
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) – Risk Management
SOC 2 – Data Security & Trust for Service Providers