Final security guide arrives

"Security Self-Assessment Guide for Information Technology Systems"

The National Institute of Standards and Technology on Sept. 10 released the final version of a step-by-step guide for agencies to measure the effectiveness of their information security programs and plans.

The special publication, "Security Self-Assessment Guide for Information Technology Systems," is a how-to guide that complements the CIO Council's Federal IT Security Assessment Framework. The council developed the framework to help agencies determine where, within six levels of effectiveness, their security programs fall and what areas can be improved. The NIST guide provides a questionnaire on security in three areas: management controls, operational controls and technical controls.

Within those areas, there are subquestions on 17 topics. One focuses on all the steps necessary to ensure that an agency is providing adequate reviews of its security controls, including asking whether independent reviews are performed whenever key changes are made.

Each question is backed up with the appropriate regulations, mandates or guidance, including such documents as the Office of Management and Budget's Circular A-130 Appendix III.

In January, OMB recommended that "to promote consistent reviews across government," agencies and their inspectors general should use the CIO Council's framework and the NIST guide as the basis for the annual review required under the Government Information Security Reform Act.

GISRA, which took effect as part of the fiscal 2001 Defense Authorization Act, requires agencies to submit annual security reports to OMB, which will then summarize the reports for Congress.

Agencies were to turn in the first set of GISRA reports with their budget requests to OMB by Sept. 10.