Essential Cyber Hygiene Framework

Master CIS Controls v8 - Essential Cyber Hygiene

Your comprehensive resource for implementing the CIS Critical Security Controls v8 framework. Free, community-driven security best practices proven to defend against 86% of cyber attacks. Expert guidance from a former Fortune 500 CISO.

18 Critical Controls

153 Safeguards

86% Attack Prevention

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Choose Your Implementation Group

Select the right tier based on your organization's size, resources, and threat profile

IG1 - Essential

Small businesses with limited IT resources. 56 foundational safeguards for essential cyber hygiene and basic security needs.

IG2 - Foundational

Medium enterprises with IT teams. 130 total safeguards (IG1 + 74 additional) for enterprise-grade security and process maturity.

IG3 - Organizational

Large enterprises and high-value targets. All 153 safeguards for sophisticated security programs and APT defense.

CIS Controls Overview

Understanding the fundamentals of CIS Controls v8 and why they are critical for your cybersecurity program

What are CIS Controls?

CIS Controls v8 are a prioritized set of 18 actions developed by the Center for Internet Security to protect organizations from the most pervasive cyber attacks. Released in 2021, v8 represents the latest evolution for cloud-native and remote work environments.

18 prioritized controls organized by effectiveness
153 specific safeguards with clear implementation guidance
Free and accessible to all organizations worldwide

Blocks 86% of Attacks

According to SANS Institute research, implementing just the basic CIS Controls (IG1) blocks approximately 86% of known cyber attacks. This makes them one of the most cost-effective security investments available.

Based on real-world attack data from thousands of incidents
Proven effectiveness against common attack patterns
Prioritized by impact focusing on highest-value controls first

3 Implementation Groups

CIS Controls are organized into three Implementation Groups (IGs) tailored to different organization sizes and threat profiles. Start with IG1 and progressively build maturity as your program grows.

IG1: 56 safeguards for small businesses (1-100 employees)
IG2: 74 additional safeguards for medium enterprises
IG3: 23 additional safeguards for large organizations

Framework Evolution

CIS Controls v8 represents the latest evolution, incorporating lessons from thousands of real-world incidents and aligning with modern cloud, mobile, and remote work environments.

Updated for cloud-native infrastructure
Enhanced mobile device and BYOD controls
Remote workforce security emphasis

Multi-Framework Alignment

CIS Controls map directly to major compliance frameworks including NIST CSF, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOC 2, making them excellent foundational controls that support multiple compliance objectives.

70% overlap with ISO 27001 controls
Direct mapping to NIST Cybersecurity Framework
Supports SOC 2 security criteria requirements

Free & Community-Driven

Unlike many compliance frameworks, CIS Controls are completely free to use and continuously updated by cybersecurity experts worldwide. No licensing fees, no vendor lock-in, just practical security guidance.

No licensing or membership fees required
Regular updates based on threat landscape
Extensive community support and resources

Implementation Groups Explained

Three tiers of security safeguards designed for organizations with different risk profiles and resources

IG1 - Essential Cyber Hygiene

56 foundational safeguards for small businesses and organizations with limited IT resources. Focus on basic cyber hygiene that blocks the vast majority of attacks.

Target: 1-100 employees, limited IT staff
Sensitivity: Low data sensitivity, standard business data
Timeline: 3-6 months typical implementation
Investment: $30K-$75K including tools and consulting
Focus: Basic asset management, access controls, backups

IG2 - Foundational Security

74 additional safeguards (130 total) for medium-sized enterprises with dedicated IT teams. Adds enterprise-grade security tools and mature processes.

Target: 100-1,000 employees, dedicated security team
Sensitivity: Moderate data sensitivity, some regulated data
Timeline: 6-12 months for comprehensive deployment
Investment: $75K-$150K including advanced tools
Focus: SIEM, vulnerability management, incident response

IG3 - Organizational Security

23 additional safeguards (153 total) for large enterprises and high-value targets. Sophisticated security programs designed to defend against APTs.

Target: 1,000+ employees or critical infrastructure
Sensitivity: High sensitivity, regulated or valuable data
Timeline: 12-18 months for full maturity
Investment: $150K-$300K+ including SOC operations
Focus: Advanced threat detection, security automation

How to Choose Your IG Level

Select your Implementation Group based on four key factors that align with your organization's risk profile and available resources.

Asset & Data Sensitivity: What you're protecting
Threat Environment: Who might target you
Resource Availability: Budget and staffing levels
Regulatory Requirements: Compliance obligations
Progressive Approach: Start with IG1, build to IG2/IG3

IG Level Self-Assessment

Use CIS's official IG selection tool to determine the right starting point for your organization based on your specific risk factors and capabilities.

Asset inventory and classification assessment
Data sensitivity evaluation
Threat landscape analysis
Resource capability review
Gap analysis and prioritization

Progressive Implementation Strategy

Organizations can start with IG1 and progressively implement IG2 and IG3 controls as their security program matures and resources grow. This phased approach reduces risk while managing costs.

Build strong foundation with IG1 essentials
Expand capabilities with IG2 tools and processes
Achieve comprehensive security with IG3
Continuous improvement and maturity assessment
Regular re-evaluation as organization grows

The 18 CIS Controls - Detailed Breakdown

Comprehensive overview of all 18 Critical Security Controls with safeguards organized by Implementation Group

Control 1: Inventory and Control of Enterprise Assets

Actively manage all enterprise assets connected to the infrastructure. You can't protect what you don't know exists. Asset inventory is the foundation of all security controls.

1.1: Establish hardware asset inventory (IG1)
1.2: Address unauthorized assets (IG1)
1.3: Utilize active discovery tools (IG2)
1.4: Use DHCP logging for asset detection (IG2)
1.5: Maintain asset inventory information (IG2)

Control 2: Inventory and Control of Software Assets

Manage all software on the network to ensure only authorized software is installed. Unauthorized software creates vulnerabilities and compliance gaps.

2.1: Establish software inventory (IG1)
2.2: Ensure authorized software is tracked (IG1)
2.3: Address unauthorized software (IG1)
2.4: Use automated software inventory tools (IG2)
2.5: Allowlist authorized software (IG2)
2.6: Allowlist libraries (IG2)
2.7: Allow only approved scripts (IG3)

Control 3: Data Protection

Develop processes to identify, classify, and protect data. Data classification drives encryption, access controls, and retention policies.

3.1: Establish data management process (IG1)
3.2: Establish data inventory (IG1)
3.3: Configure data access control lists (IG1)
3.4: Enforce data retention policy (IG1)
3.5: Securely dispose of data (IG1)
3.6: Encrypt data at rest (IG1)
3.7: Establish data classification scheme (IG2)
3.8: Document data flows (IG2)
3.9-3.14: Advanced DLP and encryption controls (IG2/IG3)

Control 4: Secure Configuration of Enterprise Assets and Software

Establish secure baseline configurations. Default configurations are notoriously insecure. Hardening standards reduce attack surface dramatically.

4.1: Establish secure configuration process (IG1)
4.2: Establish secure configurations (IG1)
4.3: Configure automatic session locking (IG1)
4.4: Implement system configuration tools (IG2)
4.5: Implement account hardening (IG2)
4.6-4.12: Advanced hardening and drift detection (IG2/IG3)

Control 5: Account Management

Manage user account lifecycle. From provisioning to deprovisioning, proper account management prevents unauthorized access and insider threats.

5.1: Establish account management process (IG1)
5.2: Use unique passwords (IG1)
5.3: Disable dormant accounts (IG1)
5.4: Restrict administrator privileges (IG1)
5.5: Establish account audit process (IG2)
5.6: Centralize account management (IG2)

Control 6: Access Control Management

Implement least privilege and MFA. Access controls are your front-line defense. MFA alone blocks 99.9% of automated attacks.

6.1: Establish access granting process (IG1)
6.2: Establish access revoking process (IG1)
6.3: Require MFA for externally-exposed apps (IG1)
6.4: Require MFA for remote access (IG1)
6.5: Require MFA for admin access (IG1)
6.6-6.8: Establish privileged access management (IG2/IG3)

Control 7: Continuous Vulnerability Management

Continuously assess and remediate vulnerabilities. New vulnerabilities emerge daily. Continuous scanning and prioritized patching are essential.

7.1: Establish vulnerability management process (IG1)
7.2: Establish remediation process (IG1)
7.3: Perform automated OS patching (IG1)
7.4: Perform automated application patching (IG1)
7.5: Perform automated vulnerability scans (IG2)
7.6-7.7: Remediate detected vulnerabilities (IG2/IG3)

Control 8: Audit Log Management

Collect, retain, and analyze logs. Logs are critical for incident detection, investigation, and forensics. Without logs, you're flying blind.

8.1: Establish audit log management process (IG1)
8.2: Collect audit logs (IG1)
8.3: Ensure adequate storage for logs (IG1)
8.4: Standardize time synchronization (IG1)
8.5-8.12: Centralized logging, SIEM, analysis (IG2/IG3)

Control 9: Email and Web Browser Protections

Protect common attack vectors. Email and web browsers remain the #1 and #2 attack vectors. Layered defenses are critical for these high-risk channels.

9.1: Ensure web browsers block known-malicious sites (IG1)
9.2: Block access to known-malicious domains (IG1)
9.3: Deploy email security gateway (IG1)
9.4: Use anti-malware on email (IG1)
9.5-9.7: Advanced email/web protections (IG2/IG3)

Control 10: Malware Defenses

Control malware installation and execution. Modern endpoint protection goes beyond signatures to include behavioral detection and response capabilities.

10.1: Deploy anti-malware software (IG1)
10.2: Configure automatic updates (IG1)
10.3: Disable autorun and autoplay (IG1)
10.4: Configure malware scanning (IG1)
10.5-10.7: Centralized management, EDR, behavior analysis (IG2/IG3)

Control 11: Data Recovery

Maintain reliable backup and recovery capabilities. Ransomware is inevitable. Tested backups are your insurance policy and last line of defense.

11.1: Establish data recovery process (IG1)
11.2: Perform automated backups (IG1)
11.3: Protect recovery data (IG1)
11.4: Establish recovery time objectives (IG2)
11.5: Test data recovery (IG2)

Control 12: Network Infrastructure Management

Secure network devices and architecture. Network segmentation and proper device configuration prevent lateral movement during breaches.

12.1: Maintain network architecture documentation (IG1)
12.2: Establish secure network configurations (IG2)
12.3: Securely manage infrastructure (IG2)
12.4: Establish network segmentation (IG2)
12.5-12.8: Advanced segmentation and monitoring (IG2/IG3)

Control 13: Network Monitoring and Defense

Detect and respond to network threats. Comprehensive network monitoring identifies attacks in progress and enables rapid response.

13.1: Centralize security event alerting (IG2)
13.2: Deploy network intrusion detection (IG2)
13.3: Deploy network intrusion prevention (IG2)
13.4-13.11: Traffic analysis, threat intelligence (IG2/IG3)

Control 14: Security Awareness and Skills Training

Train workforce to be security conscious. Humans are both the weakest link and strongest defense. Regular training significantly reduces risk.

14.1: Establish awareness training program (IG1)
14.2: Train workforce on secure authentication (IG1)
14.3: Train workforce on data handling (IG1)
14.4: Train workforce on incident identification (IG1)
14.5-14.9: Role-based training, phishing tests (IG2/IG3)

Control 15: Service Provider Management

Evaluate and manage third-party providers. Vendor breaches are increasingly common. Proper vendor risk management is non-negotiable.

15.1: Establish service provider process (IG1)
15.2: Establish service provider inventory (IG1)
15.3: Require service provider contracts (IG1)
15.4-15.7: Risk assessments, monitoring (IG2/IG3)

Control 16: Application Software Security

Manage software development security lifecycle. Application vulnerabilities are the #1 cause of breaches. Secure SDLC is mandatory.

16.1: Establish secure application process (IG2)
16.2: Establish software development standards (IG2)
16.3: Perform root cause analysis (IG2)
16.4-16.14: Security testing, SAST/DAST, WAF (IG2/IG3)

Control 17: Incident Response Management

Establish incident response capability. Breaches are inevitable. How quickly and effectively you respond determines total impact.

17.1: Designate incident response personnel (IG1)
17.2: Establish contact information (IG1)
17.3: Establish incident response process (IG1)
17.4-17.9: Response plans, testing, forensics (IG2/IG3)

Control 18: Penetration Testing

Test security effectiveness regularly. Assume breach mentality requires regular offensive testing to validate defensive capabilities.

18.1: Establish penetration testing program (IG2)
18.2: Perform periodic external testing (IG2)
18.3: Remediate penetration test findings (IG2)
18.4-18.5: Internal testing, red team exercises (IG3)

Tools & Resources

Assessment tools, implementation guides, and resources to support your CIS Controls journey

CIS-CAT Pro Assessment Tool

Automated configuration assessment tool that evaluates systems against CIS Benchmarks and Controls. Available through CIS SecureSuite membership.

Automated compliance scanning for 100+ platforms
Detailed assessment reports with remediation guidance
Dashboard for tracking compliance across assets
Cost: $3,600/year per organization
Includes CIS Benchmarks and priority support

CIS Benchmarks

Complementary hardening guides for specific technologies. Over 100+ configuration benchmarks for operating systems, cloud platforms, databases, and applications.

Windows, Linux, macOS hardening standards
AWS, Azure, GCP cloud security configurations
Database security (Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL)
Network device configurations (Cisco, Palo Alto)
Free community access for basic benchmarks

CIS SecureSuite Membership

Premium membership program providing access to advanced tools and resources beyond the free CIS Controls framework.

CIS-CAT Pro automated assessment tool
Full access to all CIS Benchmarks
CIS CSAT cloud security assessment tool
Priority support and technical guidance
Member-only webinars and training resources

Free Community Resources

Extensive free resources available from CIS and the global security community to support implementation without membership fees.

CIS Controls v8 framework documentation (PDF)
Implementation Group guides and mappings
CIS Community forums and discussion groups
Framework crosswalks (NIST, ISO 27001, etc.)
Webinars, whitepapers, and case studies

Implementation Templates & Checklists

Ready-to-use templates and checklists to accelerate your CIS Controls implementation and track progress across all 153 safeguards.

153-safeguard implementation checklist
Control implementation tracker spreadsheet
Evidence collection templates
Gap analysis worksheets by IG level
Project management roadmap templates

Training & Certification Programs

Professional training courses and certifications to build CIS Controls expertise within your security team.

CIS Controls Assessor certification program
Implementation workshops and boot camps
Tool-specific training (CIS-CAT Pro)
Online self-paced learning modules
Quarterly webinars on emerging threats

Costs & Implementation Timeline

Realistic investment expectations and timeline planning for each Implementation Group

IG1 Investment: $30K-$75K

3-6 months typical implementation. Essential cyber hygiene controls with foundational tools and processes for small organizations.

Assessment & Planning: $5K-$10K (consultant or VCISO)
Security Tools: $10K-$25K (EDR, backup, password manager)
Implementation Labor: $10K-$30K (internal or external)
Training: $2K-$5K (security awareness platform)
Documentation: $3K-$5K (policies, procedures)

IG2 Investment: $75K-$150K

6-12 months for comprehensive deployment. Enterprise-grade tools and mature processes for medium-sized organizations.

IG1 Foundation: $30K-$75K (if not already implemented)
Advanced Tools: $25K-$40K (SIEM, vuln scanning, PAM)
Implementation: $15K-$25K (gap remediation)
CIS-CAT Pro: $3.6K/year (assessment tool)
Ongoing Support: $5K-$10K/year (managed services)

IG3 Investment: $150K-$300K+

12-18 months for full maturity. Sophisticated security operations with advanced threat detection and response capabilities.

IG1 + IG2: $75K-$150K (foundational controls)
Advanced Security: $40K-$80K (EDR, SOAR, threat intel)
SOC Operations: $25K-$50K (staffing or outsourced SOC)
Penetration Testing: $10K-$20K/year (annual testing)
Security Automation: $10K-$20K (orchestration tools)

Implementation Timeline

Phased approach to CIS Controls implementation with realistic milestones for each phase of your security program maturity.

Phase 1 (Months 1-2): Assessment, gap analysis, planning
Phase 2 (Months 3-6): IG1 foundational controls
Phase 3 (Months 7-12): IG2 enterprise controls
Phase 4 (Months 13-18): IG3 advanced capabilities
Ongoing: Continuous monitoring and improvement

Cost Optimization Strategies

Practical approaches to reduce implementation costs while maintaining security effectiveness and compliance posture.

Leverage free open-source tools where appropriate
Start with IG1, delay IG2/IG3 investments
Use managed services vs. full-time staff
Negotiate multi-year contracts for tool discounts
Leverage existing tools before buying new

Often-Overlooked Costs

Hidden expenses that organizations frequently miss during budget planning for CIS Controls implementation.

Internal labor hours (500-1500 hours typical)
Tool integration and customization work
Change management and communication
Employee training and certification
Ongoing maintenance and subscription renewals

ROI & Business Value

Quantifiable benefits and return on investment from implementing CIS Controls

86% Attack Prevention Rate

SANS Institute data shows that implementing basic CIS Controls (IG1) blocks approximately 86% of known cyber attacks. IG2/IG3 increase this significantly.

Prevents majority of ransomware attacks
Blocks phishing and social engineering attempts
Stops unauthorized access and data theft
Reduces malware infection rates by 90%+
Measurable risk reduction within 6 months

85% Breach Risk Reduction

Organizations implementing comprehensive CIS Controls report 85% reduction in security incidents and data breach likelihood.

Average breach cost: $4.45M (IBM 2023)
IG1 implementation: Reduces risk by 60-70%
IG2 implementation: Reduces risk by 75-85%
IG3 implementation: Reduces risk by 85-95%
ROI payback typically within 12-18 months

Cyber Insurance Premium Reductions

Implementing CIS Controls can lead to 10-25% reductions in cyber insurance premiums and improved coverage terms.

Many insurers now require CIS Controls
Premium discounts of 10-25% typical
Higher coverage limits available
Lower deductibles and better terms
Faster claim processing and approval

Multi-Framework Compliance Efficiency

CIS Controls map to multiple frameworks, reducing duplicate effort and costs for organizations with multiple compliance obligations.

70% overlap with ISO 27001 requirements
Direct mapping to NIST CSF functions
Supports SOC 2 security criteria
Aligns with HIPAA Security Rule
Reduces overall compliance costs by 30-40%

Operational Efficiency Gains

Mature CIS Controls implementation improves security operations efficiency and reduces time spent on reactive security tasks.

25-40% reduction in security incidents
50% faster incident response times
30% reduction in false positive alerts
Improved security team productivity
Better resource allocation and planning

Business Growth Enablement

Strong security posture based on CIS Controls enables business growth, new partnerships, and market expansion opportunities.

Accelerates enterprise sales cycles
Meets customer security requirements
Enables entry into regulated markets
Supports M&A due diligence processes
Competitive differentiation in RFPs

Related Compliance Frameworks

Explore other frameworks that complement or map to CIS Controls

Ready to Implement CIS Controls?

Let CyberPoint Advisory guide you through CIS Controls implementation with expert consulting, assessment services, and practical roadmaps tailored to your Implementation Group.

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Get Expert Help with CIS Controls Implementation

Schedule a complimentary consultation with DD Budiharto, former Phillips 66 CISO