NIST & Security Controls Acronyms & Definitions (A–Z) – Paramify

This article consolidates NIST and security-control-related acronyms and key concepts used in Paramify. It supports questions about NIST control families, risk management, and security program activities.

Acronyms

#	Acronym	Full Name	Definition
1	AC	Access Control	Controls that manage who can access systems, data, and resources.
2	AAL	Authenticator Assurance Level	A NIST identity standard describing authentication strength.
3	AU	Audit and Accountability	Controls related to logging, monitoring, and accountability.
4	CA	Security Assessment and Authorization	Controls for assessing systems and granting authorization decisions.
5	CIA	Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability	The core security objectives for information and systems.
6	CM	Configuration Management	Controls to establish, maintain, and track secure configurations.
7	CUI	Controlled Unclassified Information	Sensitive information requiring safeguards but not classified.
8	CVSS	Common Vulnerability Scoring System	A standardized scoring method for vulnerability severity.
9	IA	Identification and Authentication	Controls ensuring users are uniquely identified and authenticated.
10	IR	Incident Response	Controls for detecting, responding to, and recovering from incidents.
11	MA	Maintenance	Controls ensuring system maintenance is performed securely.
12	MP	Media Protection	Controls protecting digital and physical media from unauthorized access.
13	PE	Physical and Environmental Protection	Controls protecting facilities and physical environments.
14	PL	Planning	Controls supporting security planning and policy requirements.
15	PS	Personnel Security	Controls ensuring personnel are trustworthy and managed appropriately.
16	RA	Risk Assessment	Controls that identify and evaluate risk to systems and organizations.
17	RMF	Risk Management Framework	NIST's process for managing security and privacy risk across the system lifecycle.
18	SA	System and Services Acquisition	Controls ensuring security is built into acquisition and development.
19	SC	System and Communications Protection	Controls protecting networks and communications.
20	SI	System and Information Integrity	Controls ensuring systems operate correctly and resist threats.

Glossary

#	Term	Definition
1	Control Family	A grouping of related security controls in NIST (e.g., AC, AU, IR).
2	Control Implementation	How an organization puts a control into practice (people, process, and technology).
3	Baseline (NIST)	A standard set of security controls selected to meet an impact level (Low/Moderate/High).
4	Tailoring	Adjusting a control baseline to fit a specific system while still meeting requirements.
5	Continuous Monitoring (ISCM)	Ongoing assessment of controls and risk posture over time.
6	Authorization	A formal decision that a system is acceptable to operate based on risk.
7	Security Control	A safeguard (technical/administrative/physical) used to reduce risk.
8	Assessment	Evaluating whether controls are correctly implemented and operating as intended.
9	Inheritance	Using controls provided by another system/provider as part of your authorization boundary.
10	Common Controls	Controls shared across multiple systems (e.g., corporate identity, logging, facilities).

Acronyms

Glossary

Related articles