The Federal Information Security Management Act or FISMA is a piece of U.S. legislation that establishes a framework of security guidelines and standards to protect government data and operations. FISMA applies to federal and state agencies, as well as private businesses and contractors who have contracts with the government.
FISMA mandates that agencies and organizations establish, document, and implement information security strategies to lower federal data security risks and safeguard sensitive data. To ensure your organization is FISMA compliant, you should be conducting a FISMA audit, which culminates in a FISMA compliance report valid for twelve months.
There is no such thing as a standard FISMA compliance checklist; however, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created a couple of standards and guidelines for carrying out the mandate. To get you started, here are five steps on how to stay FISMA compliant and obtain complete security.
Create an inventory of information systems
Step number one would be to create and maintain an inventory of your organization’s information systems. The document should clearly define network boundaries as well as how each system connects to the network. It should be a current overview of the systems in use and external system connection points. FISMA compliance requires the creation of an information system inventory, which should be created by all relevant organizations.
The inventory aids organizations in understanding each system and any access points that cross system boundaries. This is crucial when establishing a plan for information management or conducting risk analyses. This can also help with identifying the system components that process or store sensitive data, allowing for a more comprehensive risk management strategy. System diagrams will enable you to better understand and record data flow, allowing you to optimize resources to protect vulnerable areas. High-risk areas of the systems will necessitate tighter security controls. That is why creating an inventory of information systems is essential.
Categorize the risk levels
This requirement states that all organizations should categorize their information systems according to the level of risk. This categorization is used to identify which systems contain the most sensitive data, allowing the agency to implement the necessary security measures to keep this data secure. All systems that handle sensitive information must be kept as secure as possible.
A high-impact system that stores sensitive information and where a breach could produce serious consequences should be classified as high-risk so that appropriate security measures can be put in place. Each information system must be classified according to its level of risk. The Federal Information Processing Standard is the process by which the risk category of the systems is clearly determined.
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Create a security strategy
Each organization is obliged to create, maintain, and constantly update the security plan. This plan should outline the organization’s plan of action and security controls that have already been implemented. Organizations are required to create a system security plan that details security controls and policies.
The plan must include a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) that should be reviewed on a regular basis. There must be a vast choice of security controls, milestones, and timetables for implementing new controls in the document. It is essential that the document be updated on a regular basis.
Perform risk evaluations
Risk evaluations are essential requirements for being FISMA compliant. The NIST guidelines recommend that organizations perform three-part risk evaluations to detect risks at all levels, including the organizational, business process, and information system levels.
You need to evaluate the security controls in your organization to see if there are any weak spots and gaps to improve in your system. For example, with NIST SP 800-30 you will understand how risk evaluations should be performed. You must safeguard everything, from individuals to assets to operations. Following the risk evaluation, you should determine whether any additional controls are required to protect data.
Keep monitoring the systems
Constant maintenance and updates of the security controls and systems are required for any organization to keep its data intact. Configuration management, file integrity monitoring, vulnerability scanning, and log analysis are all types of monitoring that must be used. A vulnerability scanner, for instance, can be used to check devices for vulnerabilities and access points. A file integrity monitoring system will assist you in verifying system files.
Final thoughts
Achieving FISMA compliance is a long process, but it is an essential one for protecting the government data that circulates around each organization’s system. Performing a FISMA audit is crucial to discovering the weak spots of your agency and helping you with the protection of vulnerable government data.
