The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (National Institute of Standards and Technology) provides organizations with a structured approach to manage and mitigate cybersecurity risks. Originally designed for critical infrastructure, the framework has now evolved into a comprehensive guide applicable to businesses of all sizes and sectors.

The latest iteration, known as NIST 2, consists of six core functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover. In this blog, we’ll explore the Identify and Detect functions and how implementing Network Detective Pro helps IT teams move toward compliance with NIST 2 requirements.

NIST 2 Identify function explained

Implementing the Identify function enables organizations to understand their assets, vulnerabilities and overall risk landscape. Let’s explore the key components of the NIST 2 Identify function:

Purpose

The Identify function serves as the backbone of the NIST 2 Framework, aiming to help organizations understand their current cybersecurity risks. By establishing a clear picture of existing assets and the vulnerabilities associated with them, an organization can prioritize its efforts consistent with its risk management strategy.

Core components

The Identify function encompasses several core components:

• Asset management: This involves identifying and managing all relevant critical assets, including data, personnel, devices, systems and facilities.
• Risk assessment: This entails understanding the risks associated with various assets, including systems, data, services, people and suppliers.
• Improvement: This directs organizations to continually identify ways to enhance policies, plans, processes, procedures and practices that support cybersecurity risk management.

NIST 2 Detect function explained

Implementing the Detect function enables an organization to find and analyze possible cybersecurity attacks and compromises. Let’s explore the key components of the NIST 2 Detect function:

Purpose

The Detect function aims to help organizations establish a process for the timely discovery and analysis of anomalies, indicators of compromise and other potentially adverse issues that may indicate that cybersecurity attacks and incidents are occurring. This supports an organization’s incident response and recovery activities.

Core components

• Continuous monitoring: This involves monitoring assets to find anomalies, indicators of compromise and other potentially adverse issues and events.
• Adverse event analysis: This involves analyzing anomalies, indicators of compromise and other potentially adverse events to characterize them and detect cybersecurity incidents.

Network Detective Pro supports NIST 2 functions

Fortunately, IT professionals don’t have to go it alone. Network Detective Pro puts the data and resources that IT professionals need at their fingertips. As an automated IT assessment solution, Network Detective Pro identifies risks and issues, scores their severity and presents them in actionable dashboards and dynamic reports that make risk mitigation and compliance easier. Network Detective Pro is ideal for a wide array of IT environments, including cloud, on-premise and hybrid systems.

This powerful solution offers timesaving, innovative features, such as:

• Automated network scanning: Ensure the integrity of your systems using non-intrusive data collectors, lightweight discovery agents and powerful scanners to identify risks quickly.
• Real-time risk scoring: Always know exactly what you need to do with actionable insights that make it easy to prioritize risks effectively. Evaluate risks associated with various assets, enabling informed decision-making.
• Automated comprehensive reporting: Generate detailed reports that provide insights into network health and security automatically.
• Dynamic risk management plans: Turn real-time data into a plan of action that makes it easy for organizations to accurately prioritize remediation efforts.
• Tailored reports for stakeholders: Automatically generate easy-to-read executive summaries and detailed risk reports that effectively communicate findings to various stakeholders, proving the solution’s value.

With Network Detective Pro, organizations can effectively implement a structured approach to managing and mitigating cybersecurity risks. The tool’s automated features streamline asset management and risk assessment processes, making it easier for organizations to maintain security and compliance. Regular assessments using Network Detective Pro not only bolster an organization’s cybersecurity posture but also foster a culture of proactive risk management that keeps organizations out of trouble while enhancing compliance.

To learn more, visit Network Detective Pro.