CIS Critical Security Controls Implementation Group 1

 

Implementation Groups (IGs) are the recommended guidance to prioritize implementation of the CIS Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls). CIS Controls v8 defines Implementation Group 1 (IG1) as essential cyber hygiene and represents an emerging minimum standard of information security for all enterprises. IG1 is the on-ramp to the CIS Controls and consists of a foundational set of 56 cyber defense Safeguards. The Safeguards included in IG1 are what every enterprise should apply to defend against the most common attacks.

In most cases, an IG1 enterprise is typically small to medium-sized with limited IT and cybersecurity expertise to dedicate towards protecting IT assets and personnel. A common concern of these enterprises is to keep the business operational, as they have a limited tolerance for downtime.

The sensitivity of the data that they are trying to protect is low and principally surrounds employee and financial information. Safeguards selected for IG1 should be implementable with limited cybersecurity expertise and aimed to thwart general, non-targeted attacks. These Safeguards will also typically be designed to work in conjunction with small or home office commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software.

Below is a list of the CIS Controls in v8, and how many Safeguards in each are applicable to each Implementation Group.