As technology advances, the need for effective cybersecurity measures becomes increasingly important. The necessity for regular testing, including penetration testing, has raised awareness of best practices and standards for such assessments.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed comprehensive guidelines and standards to help organizations safeguard their information systems from cyber threats. Among these guidelines is NIST 800-115, a guide for conducting penetration testing on information systems.

This article will explore the fundamental principles of NIST 800-115 and the benefits of conducting penetration testing according to its guidelines. We will also discuss how organizations can use the information gathered from penetration testing to improve their cybersecurity. Organizations can better protect their systems and data from cyber threats by following the recommendations outlined in this guide.

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The Internal Revenue Service is one of the largest and most essential federal government agencies… which means that there is a lot of opportunity for third-party contractors and managed service providers to offer products to support its mission. It also means that these contractors will be expected to adhere to security standards, specifically those outlined in IRS 1075. 

Fortunately, IRS 1075 is aligned with other federal standards, all of which provide a sound security footing and potential to pivot services to other government agencies. Here, we’ll discuss some overlap between IRS 1075 and federal standards, specifically those related to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 

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The document library of the NIST website can be daunting and seemingly endless in terms of the various frameworks, controls and requirements that it provides. The 800 series, in particular, while important and, in many cases, necessary, is also hard to penetrate if you don’t already have some knowledge of what it contains. This can challenge organizations working with the DoD supply chain, especially those handling classified or sensitive material. 

This article will cover one of these publications: NIST 800-171. This document defines security for a specific form of government information that many contractors under the executive or defense departments: CUI. While important, this document also informs several important security frameworks, namely CMMC.

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