NIST 800-53 Compliance

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