Creating Community Profiles FAQs

Communities are groups of organizations with shared interests in cybersecurity and privacy risk management within a specific context, such as a sector, technology, challenge area, or other use case, that are interested in developing one or more Community Profiles.

A Community Profile outlines shared interests, goals, and outcomes for reducing cybersecurity and privacy risks among a number of organizations. They provide a way for communities to reflect a consensus point of view about cybersecurity and privacy risk management.

Community Profiles offer numerous benefits, such as using familiar terminology to describe cybersecurity risk management, encouraging common target outcomes for assessments, and streamlining implementation by aligning multiple requirements under one framework. They also leverage community expertise, minimize individual organizational burdens by providing shared priorities, and promote commercially available solutions for common challenges.

Community Profiles can inform cybersecurity and privacy risk management decisions, inform development of Organizational Target Profiles, and support knowledge transfer, which can benefit other organizational initiatives.

Small businesses and organizations with limited resources can work together develop and maintain a Community Profile by leveraging existing frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and NIST Privacy Framework, utilizing free resources, and engaging with industry associations and community groups. Focus on high-priority areas, simplify the process, collaborate with other small businesses, and seek pro bono support. Additionally, train employees, leverage government and non-profit programs, document efforts clearly, and continuously monitor and improve the Profile.

The development of a Community Profile should involve a diverse group of stakeholders to ensure it is comprehensive and effective. Key participants could include a steering committee with project managers, cybersecurity experts, privacy experts, and domain specialists; community leadership such as executive sponsors and policymakers; operational stakeholders like IT and security teams; business leaders and compliance officers; external partners and consultants; end-users and community members; legal and privacy experts; audit and assurance teams; and training and awareness coordinators.

Yes, organizations of varying sizes, resources, and cybersecurity or privacy maturity can collaboratively create a Community Profile. The goal is to unite key stakeholders to address the community's pressing cybersecurity challenges comprehensively.

Key factors impacting the development timeline of a Community Profile include the scope and complexity of priorities and domains, stakeholder engagement, and resource availability. Additionally, consider existing frameworks, legal/regulatory requirements, the risk landscape, and the need for collaboration and training. Regular reviews and continuous improvement efforts are essential for maintaining an effective Community Profile.

Organizations in the community should first determine if there is a need for a Community Profile. If so, the community works together to determine the objectives they hope to achieve through use of a Community Profile and evaluate whether all or part of an existing Community Profile may meet their needs (see the list of examples NIST makes available). Once the community has identified its needs for a Community Profile, organizations in the community should obtain leadership buy-in on the development of a new Community Profile and follow the lifecycle in A Guide to Creating Community Profiles to create their own Community Profile.

For a community with multiple objectives and domains, start by establishing a governance structure with a steering committee to oversee the process. Conduct a preliminary assessment to identify key objectives and map out domains, then engage stakeholders to gather input and foster collaboration. Leverage existing frameworks like the NIST CSF and NIST Privacy Framework, prioritize objectives based on risk assessments, and develop Organizational Target Profiles.

The process for approving a Community Profile is governed by the community that is developing it.  Communities may wish to define a structured process to ensure a Community Profile is comprehensive and aligns with community objectives. For example, key steps may include drafting and internally reviewing the Profile, engaging stakeholders for feedback, revising the Profile based on input, and submitting it for formal review and approval by the designated authority.

Communicate the Community Profile to all stakeholders, plan for implementation, and provide necessary training and awareness.

When developing a Community Profile using the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), key terms include the Framework Core (Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover), Categories and Subcategories (specific outcomes and activities), and Implementation Tiers (characterization of an organization’s cybersecurity practices). Profiles align the Framework Core with business needs. Understanding these terms helps tailor the NIST CSF to the community's specific needs, ensuring relevance and effectiveness.

Defining priorities for your Community Profile involves understanding your community's context, aligning with strategic goals, and setting clear, measurable objectives. Engage key stakeholders to assess critical assets and risks, ensure alignment with broader strategic and regulatory goals. (NOTE: Some Community Profiles use the term "Mission or Business Objectives" instead of "community priorities". In NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: A Guide to Creating Community Profiles, NIST made the change to "community priorities" to accommodate a wider variety of how communities choose to organize the discussion in Community Profiles.)

While there are no required components in a Community Profile common components are described in NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: A Guide to Creating Community Profiles and the Community Profiles template. Each resource can be found at our A Guide to Creating Community Profiles project page.

Each component serves a specific purpose in helping organizations understand and implement the CSF or Privacy Framework outcomes within the context of their specific community.

Community Profiles can be used to benchmark an organization’s cybersecurity and privacy posture by providing tailored priorities that reflect the specific needs, challenges, and objectives of a particular community. These Profiles use NIST Frameworks, enabling organizations to assess their current cybersecurity posture against established outcomes within their community.

Multiple Profiles can indeed be used together, for example, when an organization operates across different sectors or faces various complex threats. By combining relevant Profiles, organizations can create a more comprehensive approach to addressing these challenges.

Successful use of a Community Profile by an organization could involve enhancing cybersecurity and privacy risk discussions among stakeholders, identifying gaps in existing programs, and guiding the development of new cybersecurity and privacy initiatives. It can also help in strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and aligning organizational policies with community standards. You can find additional information regarding Community Profile use in NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: A Guide to Creating Community Profiles, available from our A Guide to Creating Community Profiles project page, along with a supplemental template.

Community Profiles are reviewed periodically and updated as needed to ensure they are adequately maintained and continue to meet the needs of the community or are retired when no longer needed. Coordination and collaboration among organizations within the community helps develop a Community Profile that is realistic and useful throughout its lifespan. To get updates on when a Profile may be updated or to provide feedback on a particular Profile, please join the community of interest by emailing [email protected].

Maintaining non-NIST developed Community Profiles involves several key procedures to ensure they remain relevant and effective. Establish governance and designate a responsible entity, set regular review intervals, and gather continuous feedback from stakeholders. Monitor changes in the cybersecurity and privacy landscape, document and communicate updates, and incorporate lessons learned and best practices.

Profile updates are subject to a variety of factors, including the needs of the community and available resources. To stay up to date regarding Community Profiles developed by NIST, please join the community of interest by emailing [email protected]. To request updates to a NIST-developed Community Profile, please send an email to [email protected] with the name of the Community Profile and a summary of updates needed. For status regarding Community Profiles developed by other entities, please contact the owner directly.

NIST supports the development and coordination of Community Profiles through guidance and resources, such as NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: A Guide to Creating Community Profiles, and materials available on our Resources for Applying NIST Frameworks page. Additionally, NIST hosts Community Profiles related events and participates in other outreach activities. For inquiries regarding help with a specific Community Profile effort, please contact us at [email protected].

The NCCoE hosts webinars on CSF topics, such as Community Profiles, throughout the year and publishes information to its sites: Resources for Applying NIST Frameworks and Examples of Community Profiles . To receive timely alerts about these webinars, join the community of interest by emailing [email protected].

To engage with the development of a Community Profile in which NIST is involved, please join the community of interest by emailing [email protected] or signing up from our Resources for Applying NIST Frameworks page. This distribution list will receive updates on current and upcoming NIST/NCCoE efforts to update existing or develop new Community Profiles as well as gain insights into when NIST will host a Community Profile webinar where attendees can ask questions and provide feedback to presented content.

For guidance on how to develop your own Community Profile, refer to A Guide to Creating Community Profiles. The Resources for Applying NIST Frameworks site also provides a CSF 2.0 Community Profile Template to help develop a Community Profile.

Yes, NIST is currently developing a Community Profile template. A draft version of the template can be downloaded from our A Guide to Creating Community Profiles project page. To be informed when the final version of the template is published, please join our community of interest by either emailing [email protected] or signing up from our Resources for Applying NIST Frameworks page.

NIST makes Community Profiles available at: Resources for Applying NIST Frameworks and Examples of Community Profiles.

To join the Community Profiles community of interest, please email [email protected] or visit the NCCoE's Join a Community of Interest page, where you can join and stay updated on specific communities of interest related to Community Profiles projects and be notified when Community Profiles activities are happening, such as requests for comment.

Community Profiles provide a way to implement NIST Frameworks in alignment with community needs. Organizations in the community can use Community Profiles to inform their use of NIST Frameworks, including developing their own Target Profiles and evaluating the Tier they may need to achieve to reach their Target Profile.

The organizations involved in the development of a Community Profile can identify any international standards they would like to include in their Community Profile. This enables the community to map NIST frameworks and international standards to the identified mission objectives of the Profile. NIST provides some mappings of international standards to the NIST CSF through the Online Informative References (OLIR) program. Some standards bodies may also publish mappings to the NIST CSF on their own websites.

Community Profiles are reviewed periodically and updated as needed to ensure they are adequately maintained and continue to meet the needs of the community or are retired when no longer needed. These periodic reviews and updates should include changes to align with updates to any frameworks and standards used by the Community Profile.

While NIST mappings, such as OLIR mappings, provide a way to align and integrate various standards with NIST frameworks, Community Profiles offer a customized approach to applying the NIST frameworks within specific Communities to address Community cybersecurity and privacy challenges.