NIST 800 Series

The NIST 800 Series is a set of documents that describe United States federal government computer security policies, procedures and guidelines. NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) is a unit of the Commerce Department. The documents are available free of charge, and can be useful to businesses and educational institutions, as well as to government agencies.

NIST 800 Series publications evolved as a result of exhaustive research into workable and cost-effective methods for optimizing the security of information technology (IT) systems and networks in a proactive manner. The publications cover all NIST-recommended procedures and criteria for assessing and documenting threats and vulnerabilities and for implementing security measures to minimize the risk of adverse events. The publications can be useful as guidelines for enforcement of security rules and as legal references in case of litigation involving security issues.