NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NCSF) Practitioner (NCSF-P)

MODULE 1: COURSE INTRODUCTION

• Provides the student with information relative to the course and the conduct of the course in the classroom, virtual classroom, and course materials.

MODULE 2: APPLYING NIST CSF TIERS AND PROFILES

• Review of the NIST CSF major components
• Tiers and Tier Selection
• Current and Target Profiles and the Framework Core

MODULE 3: AN EXPLORATION OF INFORMATIVE REFERENCES

• Defining the major Informative References
• CIS Controls v8
• ISO/IEC 27001:2013
• NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5

MODULE 4: RISK MANAGEMENT IN THE NIST CSF AND NIST RMF

• Risk Management in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• Analyzing the NIST Risk Management Framework
  • a) Introduction and History
  • b) Purpose, Design, and Characteristics
  • c) Seven Steps
• Prepare
• Categorize System
• Select Controls
• Implement Controls
• Assess Controls
• Authorize System
• Monitor System and Controls
• Integrating the Frameworks

MODULE 5: UNDERSTANDING AND DEFENDING AGAINST REAL WORLD ATTACKS

• Major Cybersecurity Attacks and Breaches
• MITRE ATT&CK Matrices
• Defense in Depth and the NIST CSF
• Security Operations Center (SOC) activities and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions in relation to the NIST CSF

MODULE 6: ASSESSING CYBERSECURITY IN THE SUBCATEGORIES

• Creating an Assessment Plan
• Assigning Roles and Responsibilities
• Tiers, Threats, Risks, Likelihoods, and Impact

MODULE 7: CREATING A WRITTEN INFORMATION SECURITY PROGRAMS (WISP)

• The Intersection of Business and Technical Controls
• What is a Written Information Security Program (WISP)?
• Creating a WISP Template
• Aligning Current Profile with a WISP

MODULE 8: A PRACTITIONER’S DEEP DIVE INTO CREATING OR IMPROVING A CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM

• Step 1: Prioritize and Scope
  • a) Identifying organizational priorities
  • b) Aiding and influencing strategic cybersecurity implementation decisions
  • c) Determining scope of the implementation
  • d) Planning for internal adaptation based on business line/process need
  • e) Understanding risk tolerance
• Step 2: Orient
  • a) Identifying systems and applications which support organizational priorities
  • b) Working with compliance to determine regulatory and other obligations
  • c) Planning for risk responsibility
• Step 3: Create a Current Profile
  • a) Cybersecurity Assessment options
  • b) How to measure real world in relation to the Framework
  • c) Qualitative and quantitative metrics
  • d) Current Profile and Implementation Tiers
• Step 4: Conduct a Risk Assessment
  • a) Risk assessment options (3rd party vs internal)
  • b) Organizational vs. system level risk assessment
  • c) Risk assessment and external stakeholders
• Step 5: Create a Target Profile
  • a) Target Profile and Steps 1-4
  • b) External stakeholder considerations
  • c) Adding Target Profiles outside the Subcategories
• Step 6: Determine, Analyze, and Prioritize Gaps
  • a) Defining and determining Gaps
  • b) Gap analysis and required resources
  • c) Organizational factors in creating a prioritized action plan
• Step 7: Implement Action Plan
  • a) Implementation team design from Executives to Technical Practitioners
  • b) Assigning tasks when priorities conflict
  • c) Considering compliance and privacy obligations
  • d) Taking action
  • e) Reporting and reviewing

MODULE 9: CONTINUOUS CYBERSECURITY IMPROVEMENT

• Creating a continuous improvement plan
• Implementing ongoing assessments