NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5

United States

vRev 5

4 domains

30 controls

NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5, Assessing Security and Privacy Controls in Information Systems and Organizations. This node models the assessment methodology the publication defines: how a control decomposes into determination statements, the examine, interview and test methods with their depth and coverage attributes, and the process of preparing, planning, tailoring, conducting, analysing and reporting an assessment. The per-control assessment procedures in Chapter Four map one-to-one onto SP 800-53 Rev 5 controls and are held on that framework node.

Verified

Framework summaries on this platform are AI-assisted interpretations for educational and compliance planning purposes. They do not reproduce or replace the official standards. Refer to the authoritative source for the definitive text. Framework names and trademarks belong to their respective organisations.

Framework Domains (4)

Appendices D to F: Penetration Testing, Reporting and Ongoing Assessment

3 controls

Controls in the Appendices D to F: Penetration Testing, Reporting and Ongoing Assessment domain of NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 — 3 controls
Code	Title	Description
53A-D	Penetration Testing	Uses adversarial testing to find and exploit weakness in a system under agreed rules, producing evidence that controls h...
53A-E	Assessment Reports	Sets what the assessment report must carry so that the reader can judge both the findings and the basis on which they we...
53A-F	Ongoing Assessment and Automation	Moves assessment from a point-in-time exercise to a continuing one, using automation where it can produce evidence more...

Appendix C: Assessment Methods and Attributes

5 controls

Controls in the Appendix C: Assessment Methods and Attributes domain of NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 — 5 controls
Code	Title	Description
53A-C-COVERAGE	Assessment Attribute: Coverage	Sets the scope and breadth of an assessment method, expressed as basic, focused or comprehensive sampling of the assessm...
53A-C-DEPTH	Assessment Attribute: Depth	Sets the rigour and level of detail of an examination, interview or test as basic, focused or comprehensive.
53A-C-EXAMINE	Assessment Method: Examine	Reviews, inspects, observes, studies or analyses assessment objects to establish fact, understanding or the basis for a...
53A-C-INTERVIEW	Assessment Method: Interview	Holds discussions with individuals or groups to gather understanding, clarify how something operates, or obtain evidence...
53A-C-TEST	Assessment Method: Test	Exercises an assessment object under specified conditions and compares actual behaviour with expected behaviour.

Chapter Three: The Assessment Process

16 controls

Controls in the Chapter Three: The Assessment Process domain of NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 — 16 controls
Code	Title	Description
53A-3.1	Prepare for Control Assessments	Establishes the preparation that makes an assessment executable: scope, objectives, assessor competence and independence...
53A-3.2.1	Determine Which Controls Are to Be Assessed	Fixes which controls fall in the assessment, from the security and privacy plans and the reason the assessment is being...
53A-3.2.2	Select Procedures to Assess the Controls	Selects the assessment procedures matching the controls in scope so that every in-scope control has a procedure behind i...
53A-3.2.3	Tailor Assessment Procedures	Adjusts the standard procedures to the system, the platform and the assessment purpose, and records why each adjustment...
53A-3.2.3.1	Method and Object Considerations in Tailoring	Adjusts which methods and objects a procedure uses, since not every mechanism, activity or individual is relevant to eve...
53A-3.2.3.2	Depth and Coverage Considerations in Tailoring	Sets the rigour of each method, basic, focused or comprehensive, and the size of the sample, in line with the assurance...
53A-3.2.3.3	Common Control Considerations in Tailoring	Handles controls provided in whole or part by a common control provider, so that inherited controls are assessed once an...
53A-3.2.3.4	System, Platform and Organization Considerations in Tailoring	Adjusts procedures for the actual technology and organizational context, including platforms where a standard procedure...
53A-3.2.3.5	Reuse of Assessment Evidence	Governs when results from earlier assessments may be reused, judged on age, independence, scope and whether the system h...
53A-3.2.3.6	External System Considerations	Handles controls provided by external systems and providers, where assessment depends on contracts, agreements and third...
53A-3.2.4	Develop Procedures for Organization-Specific Controls	Requires assessment procedures to be written for controls the organization added itself, so tailored controls are not le...
53A-3.2.5	Optimize Selected Assessment Procedures	Sequences and consolidates procedures so shared evidence is gathered once, without reducing the rigour that was set.
53A-3.2.6	Finalize the Assessment Plan and Obtain Approval	Fixes the plan and secures approval to execute before assessment begins, so scope and rigour are agreed rather than nego...
53A-3.3	Conduct Control Assessments	Executes the approved plan and records, for each determination statement, whether it is satisfied or other than satisfie...
53A-3.4	Analyze Assessment Report Results	Turns raw findings into a risk view: what the weakness actually enables, whether it is real, and what should be done abo...
53A-3.5	Assess Security and Privacy Capabilities	Assesses whether a set of controls working together delivers the intended capability, rather than only whether each cont...

Chapter Two: The Fundamentals

6 controls

Controls in the Chapter Two: The Fundamentals domain of NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 — 6 controls
Code	Title	Description
53A-2.1	Assessments Within the System Development Life Cycle	Places control assessment inside the development life cycle rather than at the end of it, so that findings arrive while...
53A-2.2	Control Structure and Organization	Establishes how a control decomposes into its parts, since the assessment objective is derived from that structure rathe...
53A-2.3	Building an Effective Assurance Case	Treats the assessment as the construction of an assurance case: claims about the system supported by evidence of suffici...
53A-2.4.1	Assessment Objects	Names what an assessment is performed against: specifications, mechanisms, activities and individuals, so that scope is...
53A-2.4.2	Assessment Methods	Establishes the three methods, examine, interview and test, and requires the method chosen to suit the objective rather...
53A-2.4.3	Assessment Objectives and Determination Statements	Frames the assessment as a set of determination statements derived from the control, each of which must be judged satisf...

Your Compliance Coverage

If you comply with NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5, you already cover:

FedRAMP Moderate

47%

14 controls mapped

Compare →

FedRAMP High

47%

14 controls mapped

Compare →

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

37%

11 controls mapped

Compare →

+ 16 more: NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5.1 HIGH (33%), Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) v4.0.1 (30%)

See all 19 mapped frameworks ↓

Maps to 19 other frameworks

30 total controls

FedRAMP Moderate

14 source controls mapped|15 target controls covered

47%

FedRAMP High

14 source controls mapped|15 target controls covered

47%

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5

11 source controls mapped|9 target controls covered

37%

NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5.1 HIGH

10 source controls mapped|11 target controls covered

33%

Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) v4.0.1

9 source controls mapped|7 target controls covered

30%

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 MODERATE

8 source controls mapped|9 target controls covered

27%

NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 LOW

6 source controls mapped|6 target controls covered

20%

SOC 2

5 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered

17%

NIST SP 800-171 Rev 3

5 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered

17%

CMMC 2.0

5 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered

17%

NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0

5 source controls mapped|3 target controls covered

17%

ISO 27002:2022

5 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered

17%

ISO 27001:2022

5 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered

17%

CIS Controls v8

5 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered

17%

PCI DSS 4.0

4 source controls mapped|5 target controls covered

13%

ISO 22301:2019

4 source controls mapped|4 target controls covered

13%

HIPAA Security Rule

3 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered

10%

NIST SP 800-66 Rev 2

3 source controls mapped|1 target controls covered

10%

Azure Security Benchmark

1 source controls mapped|2 target controls covered

Compare NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 with FedRAMP Moderate

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5?

NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 is a compliance framework from United States with 4 domains and 30 controls. NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5, Assessing Security and Privacy Controls in Information Systems and Organizations. This node models the assessment methodology the publication defines: how a control decomposes into determination statements, the examine, interview and test methods with their depth and coverage attributes, and the process of preparing, planning, tailoring, conducting, analysing and reporting an assessment. The per-control assessment procedures in Chapter Four map one-to-one onto SP 800-53 Rev 5 controls and are held on that framework node. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

How many controls does NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 have?

NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 has 30 controls organised across 4 domains. The largest domains are Chapter Three: The Assessment Process (16 controls), Chapter Two: The Fundamentals (6 controls), Appendix C: Assessment Methods and Attributes (5 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.

What frameworks does NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 map to?

NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 maps to 19 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are FedRAMP Moderate (47% coverage), FedRAMP High (47% coverage), NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 (37% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.

How do I get started with NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 compliance?

Start your NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 5 requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 30 controls and track your progress.

Start Your Compliance Journey

Create a free account to run self-assessments, get AI advisory, and track your compliance progress across 686 frameworks.

Get Started Free →

Free forever — no credit card required