NIST, Computer Security Division, Computer Security Resource Center
Security ASSESSMENT
NIST Special Publication 800-53A Revision 1, June 2010
(Consistent with SP 800-53 Rev. 3)
Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems and Organizations
The purpose of NIST Special Publication 800-53A (as amended) is to establish common assessment procedures to assess the effectiveness of security controls in federal information systems, specifically those controls listed in NIST Special Publication 800-53 (as amended), Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations. The assessment methods and procedures are used to determine if the security controls are implemented correctly, operating as intended, and producing the desired outcome with respect to meeting the security requirements of the organization. Organizations use the recommended assessment procedures from NIST Special Publication 800-53A as the starting point for developing more specific assessment procedures, which may, in certain cases, be needed because of platform dependencies or other implementation-related considerations. The assessment procedures in Special Publication 800-53A can be supplemented by the organization, if needed, based on an organizational assessment of risk. Organizations must create additional assessment procedures for those security controls that are not contained in NIST Special Publication 800-53. The employment of standardized assessment procedures promotes more consistent, comparable, and repeatable security assessments of federal information systems.
- Assessment Cases Overview for Special Publication 800-53A Revision 1