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The National Institute for Standards and Technology has released a draft of its new guide to better protect federal agencies from data breaches.

The 387-page guide is designed to help agency technical teams evaluate whether the security controls they have actually work as intended to protect information systems from being compromised.

It is designed as a companion to an earlier publication on minimum security controls for federal information systems. That guide, according to lead author Ron Ross, defines the different security controls required by the federal government -- including encryption, identification and authentication of users, access control to systems, personnel security and physical security.

The latest publication lists the different security measures and explains how to test them. For example, for continuity of operation requirements, the report outlines how to determine if an agency really has developed a plan, if people understand it and if it has been distributed to the right people within the organization.

The 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act instructs NIST to prepare minimum computer-security requirements for all systems other than those connected to national security, which have separate rules.

"The assessment requirements presented in this latest draft are intended to make compliance with FISMA easier, more efficient, and ultimately to produce better computer and information security for the federal government," said Ross, who is the FISMA implementation project leader at NIST.

Ross said the report is the last in a series since 2003 and is designed o make security procedures more cost-effective and easier to implement. NIST is asking for comments through the end of next month. The guidelines could help federal agencies, which received a grade of C-minus for FISMA compliance for 2006.

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., has introduced legislation that would amend FISMA rules to broaden the definition of sensitive personal data and direct the White House Office of Management and Budget to establish policies that agencies should follow after data breaches.

In addition to names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and places, mother's maiden names, and biometric records, the bill would include education, criminal, medical and employment history. The measure, S. 1558, also would give agency chief information officers more power to enforce compliance with security rules.

"In the wake of data breaches at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Agriculture, the [Transportation Security Administration] and IRS, we must ensure that federal agencies are taking the necessary preventative security measures to protect our citizens' personal information," Coleman said. "In addition to establishing a new protocol, this legislation will also create a system for notifying victims in the event of a security breach."

The Senate bill is designed as a companion to a House bill, H.R. 2124. Unlike broader data-protection measures drafted or being drafted by other committees, the bills would apply to just personal data stored by the federal government.

COMMENTS

• Good afternoon, I agree fully with Robert Smiths comments to this standards. I would add, as an active participant with NIST in several aspects of the development of these proposed standards, they are based on current knowledge or older technology, and as such are limited to a snap shot in time in regards to IT security. So I would recomend that these standards be reviewed, modified as new or newer technology comes online. I would suggest that an anual review for addressing including new or more advanced IT security technology and that such technology can be included as an amendment to this draft standards document and that this document reflect this being done. Regards, Jeffrey A. Williams Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 134k members/stakeholders strong!) Jeffrey A. Williams Posted June 14, 2007 5:12 PM
• All of the agencies already know this and have been audited by the GAO. NIST is several years behind the curve and their standards actually inhibit new game-changing technology from being used. NIST standards force path dependance. “Path-dependence is a system or network that depends on past decisions of producers and consumer,” - Nicholas Economides, Stern School of Business, New York University. NIST is setting a standard for standards already in place. More change is needed here. Robert Smith Posted June 13, 2007 8:09 PM
• A 367 page document are you kidding, another example of our useless bureaucrats, I imagine that they will ask now for more money or a promotion dan ketter Posted June 12, 2007 12:47 PM