What is the purpose of NIST Special Publication 800-53?

• A. To regulate network hardware procurement.
• B. To provide governance structure for federal agencies.
• C. To provide a catalog of security and privacy controls for U.S. federal information systems.
• D. To define encryption algorithms only.

Answer: (C)

NIST SP 800-53 is a catalog of security and privacy controls for U.S. federal information systems. It provides a comprehensive set of controls that agencies select and implement to manage risk, guided by the Risk Management Framework, and tailored to the system’s impact level. The document covers many control families (such as access control, audit and accountability, configuration management, incident response, and contingency planning) and includes privacy considerations as needed. It’s not about regulating hardware procurement, nor about governing agency structures, nor is it limited to encryption algorithms.