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In an ever-changing environment, assuring the missions supported by our National Security Systems is a constant challenge. As a result of this challenge and the increasing threats to these missions, the National Security Agency (NSA) is leading the development of the Community Gold Standard (CGS) for Information Assurance (IA). The CGS provides comprehensive and measurable IA guidance for securing enterprises while enabling mission in the face of continuous attack.

The CGS applies to the National Security Systems (NSS) community and provides guidance on the set of IA capabilities necessary for providing full-spectrum protection and defense for NSS enterprises. The guidance provides a holistic view of IA for the enterprise and is intended to help the National Security Community understand and rapidly respond to threats, provide a layered defense, and make informed risk decisions. It is being used by organizations to both identify their specific gaps and prioritize implementation of IA projects and programs based on their mission, current security posture, threats, and cost considerations.

CGS Development

Acting under the Director NSA’s authority as National Manager responsible for securing the U.S. Government’s national security telecommunications and information systems, a team of NSA experts is working with the community to develop CGS guidance through focus groups, surveys, and collaborative Web 2.0 technologies. The development is being conducted in phases that set the foundation and provide guidance for Top Secret, Secret, and Unclassified environments. In addition to providing the basis for appropriately securing today’s enterprises given their current security posture and threat environment, an automated tool is being developed to integrate strategies and methodologies which will assist organizations in their efforts to achieve the gold standard.

How You Can Help!

• Follow the CGS development activities
• Encourage workforce acceptance of changes that may occur as a result of the CGS
• Share information with NSA CGS Team to facilitate effective communication
• Provide feedback, comments, best practices, and lessons learned to: Community_Gold_Standard@missi.ncsc.mil