Glossary

NIST 800-53 Compliance

Compliance and Regulations

What is NIST 800-53 Compliance?

NIST 800-53 compliance refers to adherence to the security and privacy controls outlined in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53, titled Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations. This control catalog provides a comprehensive set of technical and administrative safeguards designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of federal information systems and other critical assets.

Why is NIST 800-53 Compliance Important?

Originally developed for U.S. federal agencies and their contractors, NIST 800-53 is increasingly adopted across sectors such as critical infrastructure, energy, finance, and healthcare as a baseline for cybersecurity best practices. The publication defines a structured control framework, organized into 20 control families, including:

Access control is a central focus of several IEC 62443 components:

AC (Access Control): Requirements for account management, least privilege, separation of duties, and remote access.
AU (Audit and Accountability): Controls for logging, monitoring, and retaining audit records.
IR (Incident Response): Guidelines for preparation, detection, analysis, containment, and reporting.
PE (Physical and Environmental Protection): Controls for physical access and protection.
SI (System and Information Integrity): Measures for software updates, patching, and session management.

Controls such as AC-2, AC-17, AU-2, and SI-4 directly address access governance, remote access security, and session auditing, areas where noncompliance can result in data breaches or regulatory penalties. NIST 800-53 also provides a foundation for other frameworks, including FedRAMP, FISMA, and CMMC.

How Does Xona Help with NIST 800-53 Compliance?

Xona helps organizations meet NIST 800-53 technical access control and auditing requirements by enforcing secure, policy-based remote access to critical systems, without exposing internal credentials or networks. Key capabilities that align with NIST 800-53 controls include:

AC-2, AC-3, AC-5: Role- and time-based access enforcement.
AC-17: Secure remote access with multi-factor authentication (MFA).
AC-6, AC-10: Least privilege and session timeout.
AU-2, AU-12: Complete session logging and immutable audit trails.
SI-4: Session monitoring and anomaly detection support.
IA-2, IA-5: Credential injection and MFA enforcement for identity assurance.

Xona’s access gateway creates a clean separation between users and target systems through protocol isolation and browser-based access, making it easier for security teams to apply and demonstrate control alignment with NIST 800-53 requirements across IT and OT environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who must comply with NIST 800-53 and where is it commonly applied?

NIST 800-53 is mandatory for U.S. federal agencies and contractors operating federal information systems under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA). However, it is also widely adopted in regulated sectors such as critical infrastructure, healthcare, energy, and finance often serving as a foundation for other frameworks like FedRAMP, CMMC, and StateRAMP.

What access control requirements are included in NIST 800-53?

The Access Control (AC) family includes detailed requirements around account management (AC-2), least privilege (AC-6), session timeout (AC-12), role separation (AC-5), and secure remote access (AC-17). These controls require organizations to enforce identity-based access, limit privileges based on job functions, and monitor or terminate inactive sessions.

How does Xona support secure remote access aligned with AC-17?

Xona replaces traditional remote access methods like VPNs or jump servers with browser-based, protocol-isolated sessions. It enforces multi-factor authentication (MFA), credential injection, and time-restricted access to ensure that only authorized users can remotely access sensitive systems, and only within approved time windows. This tightly aligns with AC-17 requirements for secure and monitored remote access.

What auditing and accountability features does Xona offer for AU-2 and AU-12?

To meet AU-2 and AU-12, Xona provides comprehensive session logging, immutable storage of access records, and full video session recordings that capture user activity across all sessions. Logs are tied to individual user identities and can be exported to SIEM or GRC platforms for forensic analysis, compliance audits, and long-term retention.

How does Xona help enforce least privilege and prevent privilege misuse under AC-6 and IA-2?

Xona applies role-based access control (RBAC) and just-in-time access policies that grant users only the permissions they need, for the minimum duration required. It also uses credential injection to eliminate shared accounts and prevent credential reuse. Combined with MFA enforcement (IA-2), these controls ensure strong identity assurance and minimal privilege exposure.

Can Xona support control alignment across both IT and OT environments under NIST 800-53?

Yes. Xona is designed to work across hybrid environments, including traditional IT systems and operational technology (OT) infrastructure. Its protocol isolation, access segmentation, and non-intrusive deployment allow organizations to uniformly apply NIST 800-53 controls to both environments, reducing complexity while improving audit readiness.