NIST Special Publication 800-100 I N F O R M A T I O N S E C U R I T Y Information Security Handbook: A Guide for Managers Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Pauline Bowen Joan Hash Mark Wilson Computer Security Division Information Technology Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930 October 2006 U.S. Department of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary Technology Administration Robert Cresanti, Under Secret ary of Commerce for Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology William Jeffrey, Director Reports on Information Systems Technology The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing tec hnical leadership for the Nation's measurement and standards infrastr ucture. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof-of-concept implementations , and technical analyses to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL's responsibilities include the development of management, administrative, t echnical, and physical standards and guidelines for the cost-effective security and privacy of nonnational-security-related information in federal information systems. This Special Publication 800 series reports on ITL's research, guidelines, and outreach efforts in information system security and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations. iii Authority This document has been developed by the Na tional Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in furtherance of its statutory responsibilities under th e Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002, Public Law 107-347. NIST is responsible for developing standards and guidelines, including minimum requirements, and for providing adequate information security for all agency operations and assets, but such standards and guidelines sh all not apply to national security systems. This guideline is consistent with the requirements of the Office of Manage ment and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Section 8b(3), Securing Agency Information Systems , as analyzed in A-130, Appendix IV: Analysis of Key Sections . Supplemental information is provided A-130, Appendix III. This guideline has been prepared for use by federal agencies. It may also be used by nongovernmental organizations on a voluntary basis and is not subj ect to copyright regulations. (Attribution would be appreciated by NIST.) Nothing in this document should be taken to contradict standards and guidelines made mandatory and binding on federal agencies by the Secretary of Co mmerce under statutory authority. Nor should these guidelin es be interpreted as alteri ng or superseding the existing authorities of the Secretary of Commerce, Direct or of the OMB, or any other federal official. Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materi als may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concep t adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. Acknowledgements NIST would like to thank the many people who assist ed with the development of this handbook. NIST management officials who supported this effort include: Joan Hash, William C. Barker, Elizabeth Chew, and Matthew Scholl. The authors would like to thank Elizabeth Lennon, Alicia Clay, Elizabeth Chew, Richard Kissel, Carol Schmidt, Matthew Scholl, and Patricia Toth who assisted with reviewing this Handbook and provided comments and suggestions for improvement. Additional drafters of Handbook chapters include: Ron Ross, Tim Gra