White Paper

In June 2015, The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-171. SP 800-171 provides guidelines for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in non-federal systems and organizations. CUI encompasses sensitive information that requires safeguarding but is not classified under U.S. law. Protecting CUI is vital for maintaining national security, economic interests, and the integrity of federal missions, especially when such information resides in non-federal systems.

Since its publication, SP 800-171 has been revised three times, with the most recent revision in July 2023. SP 800-171 outlines 14 families of security requirements that ensure the confidentiality of CUI. To build onto SP 800-171, NIST released SP 800-172 in February 2021. SP 800-172 adds enhanced security requirements to protect CUI within critical programs and high-value assets against advanced persistent threats (APTs).

This white paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding of SP 800-171 and SP 800-172, as well as offer practical implementation strategies, discuss the challenges and benefits of compliance, and explore future trends in cybersecurity related to these standards.

NextLabs-White-Paper-Understanding-NIST-SP-800-171-and-SP-800-172.pdf