NIST CSF 2.0 — Governance Functions

This document focuses on the functional components of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 and their role in cybersecurity governance and operations.

Govern

Core governance function

• Establish and maintain cybersecurity policies
• Align cybersecurity objectives with organizational mission and strategy
• Define roles, responsibilities, and accountability
• Support strategic planning and decision-making
• Oversee cybersecurity risk management and risk ownership at the executive level

Outcome: Governance structures, oversight mechanisms, and cybersecurity leadership alignment.

Identify

• Understand cybersecurity risks to the organization
• Identify and classify assets, systems, and business processes
• Perform risk-based assessments aligned with risk appetite
• Improve policies, procedures, and prioritization mechanisms
• Identify and assess third-party and supply chain cybersecurity risks

Outcome: Asset inventory and risk-informed security strategy.

Protect

• Implement safeguards to mitigate identified risks
• Enforce security policies through technical and organizational controls
• Protect organizational assets, systems, and data
• Apply preventive security controls, including:
  • Identity and Access Management (IAM / PAM)
  • Security awareness and training
  • Data protection mechanisms
  • System and application hardening

Outcome: Effective implementation of preventive security measures.

Detect

• Identify anomalous activity and potential cyber incidents
• Establish detection and alerting capabilities

Outcome: Continuous monitoring and detection capabilities (e.g. SIEM, SOC).

Respond

• Develop and execute incident response processes
• Contain, analyze, and mitigate cybersecurity incidents

Outcome: Structured incident response plans and coordinated actions.

Recover

• Restore systems, services, and business operations
• Improve resilience and reduce long-term impact

Outcome: Recovery plans, business continuity, and crisis communication.