Glossary

NIST 800-63 Compliance

Compliance and Regulations

What is NIST 800-63 Compliance?

NIST 800-63 compliance refers to adherence to the guidelines outlined in the NIST Special Publication 800-63, titled Digital Identity Guidelines. Developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), this framework defines requirements for the identity proofing, authentication, and federation of digital identities used to access government and critical systems. It introduces measurable assurance levels to ensure that identity-related processes meet risk-based security needs.

Why is NIST 800-63 Compliance Important?

As cyberattacks increasingly target authentication processes and credentials, NIST 800-63 provides a framework for trustworthy digital identity management. It is widely adopted by U.S. federal agencies, contractors, and critical infrastructure operators that must ensure secure access to sensitive systems and data.

The 800-63 framework is composed of four parts:

800-63A: Identity proofing and enrollment
800-63B: Authentication and lifecycle management
800-63C: Federation and assertions
800-63 (Core): Overview and risk assessment methodology

The standard defines three Identity Assurance Levels (IAL), three Authenticator Assurance Levels (AAL), and three Federation Assurance Levels (FAL) to match the security and privacy risks of digital interactions. It requires controls such as

Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Secure enrollment processes
Federated identity protocols (e.g., SAML, OIDC)
Credential binding and management
Session integrity and replay protection

NIST 800-63 is foundational for secure access architecture in regulated sectors and is often referenced alongside NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, and OMB M-22-09.

How Does Xona Help with NIST 800-63 Compliance?

Xona supports NIST 800-63 compliance by enforcing identity-centric access controls aligned with authentication and assurance level requirements. Through multi-factor authentication, role-based access, and credential vaulting and injection, Xona ensures that users are properly authenticated without exposing passwords or shared credentials.

Xona integrates with external identity providers (IdPs) via SAML or OIDC, enabling organizations to meet federation and assertion standards defined in 800-63C. Every access session is tied to an individual identity, logged, and optionally recorded, ensuring traceability and alignment with AAL2+ and FAL requirements for high-impact systems.

This helps organizations meet digital identity assurance goals across remote access, privileged sessions, and third-party connections, core use cases addressed by NIST 800-63.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who must comply with NIST 800-63, and in what contexts is it used?

NIST 800-63 is required for U.S. federal agencies and contractors handling federal information systems, but it's also increasingly used in regulated sectors like healthcare, finance, energy, and critical infrastructure. It governs how digital identities are verified, authenticated, and federated to ensure secure access to high-assurance systems.

What are the Identity Assurance Levels (IAL), Authenticator Assurance Levels (AAL), and Federation Assurance Levels (FAL)?

The NIST 800-63 framework defines three levels for each assurance category: IAL (Identity Assurance Level): confidence in the asserted identity (e.g., IAL1 to IAL3); AAL (Authenticator Assurance Level): strength of the authentication mechanism (e.g., AAL1 to AAL3); and FAL (Federation Assurance Level): confidence in federated assertions used in identity federation (e.g., FAL1 to FAL3). These levels allow organizations to match security controls to the risk of the system or transaction.

What are the requirements for multi-factor authentication under NIST 800-63B?

NIST 800-63B requires multi-factor authentication (MFA) at AAL2 and AAL3, including at least one phishing-resistant factor for higher assurance levels. MFA must be tied to the user’s verified identity and designed to protect against credential theft, replay attacks, and session hijacking.

How does Xona align with NIST 800-63 authentication requirements?

Xona enforces multi-factor authentication (MFA) aligned with Authenticator Assurance Level 2 (AAL2) requirements, ensuring strong user verification before access is granted. It integrates with enterprise identity providers using SAML 2.0, allowing organizations to centralize identity authentication while applying session-based access controls. Xona also uses credential injection to eliminate the need for users to handle passwords, further reducing the risk of credential theft and supporting secure session integrity, a key requirement under NIST 800-63B.

Can Xona support digital identity federation in accordance with NIST 800-63C?

Yes. Xona integrates with enterprise identity providers via SAML 2.0 enabling organizations to use federated credentials and assertion-based access. This supports FAL1–FAL2 assurance levels and allows centralized identity governance across internal and external users.

How does Xona support traceability and identity lifecycle management under NIST 800-63?

Xona ensures that each session is tied to a unique, verifiable identity and records all activity through detailed logs and optional session recordings. These logs provide an immutable record of access history, supporting identity lifecycle auditing, access revocation, and ongoing verification that are key requirements under 800-63A and 800-63B.