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Guides · Rev. 3 Families

Seventeen families. Three of them are new kinds of work.

Rev. 3 reorganizes NIST SP 800-171 into 17 requirement families aligned with SP 800-53 Rev. 5. Fourteen carry forward from Rev. 2 — consolidated and re-parameterized — and three are new: Planning, System & Services Acquisition, and Supply Chain Risk Management. Here's what each family demands in practice.

The full map

FamilyWhat it coversRev. 3 notes
3.1 ACCESS CONTROLWho can reach what: least privilege, session control, remote access, CUI flow enforcementCarried forward; several requirements consolidated, review cadences become ODPs
3.2 AWARENESS & TRAININGRole-based security training and insider-threat awarenessCarried forward; training frequency values are ODPs
3.3 AUDIT & ACCOUNTABILITYLogging, retention, review, correlation, and protection of audit recordsCarried forward; event types and review frequencies are ODPs
3.4 CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENTBaselines, change control, least functionality, software restrictionsCarried forward; consolidated
3.5 IDENTIFICATION & AUTHENTICATIONIdentity proofing, MFA, authenticator management, replay resistanceCarried forward; password and authenticator rules re-expressed with ODPs
3.6 INCIDENT RESPONSEIR capability, detection, reporting, testingCarried forward; adds emphasis on IR testing and reporting timelines as parameters
3.7 MAINTENANCEControlled maintenance, tools, and maintenance personnelCarried forward; consolidated
3.8 MEDIA PROTECTIONMarking, storage, transport, sanitization of media carrying CUICarried forward
3.9 PERSONNEL SECURITYScreening and termination/transfer proceduresCarried forward
3.10 PHYSICAL PROTECTIONFacility access, visitor control, physical monitoringCarried forward
3.11 RISK ASSESSMENTRisk assessments, vulnerability scanning and remediationCarried forward; adds supply-chain-aware risk framing, scan frequencies as ODPs
3.12 SECURITY ASSESSMENT & MONITORINGControl assessment, continuous monitoring, information exchange agreementsRenamed (was "Security Assessment"); the SSP requirement moves to the Planning family
3.13 SYSTEM & COMMS PROTECTIONBoundary protection, cryptography, session protection, CUI confidentiality in transit/at restCarried forward; cryptography requirements re-expressed with ODPs
3.14 SYSTEM & INFO INTEGRITYFlaw remediation, malicious code protection, monitoringCarried forward; consolidated
3.15 PLANNING — NEWPolicies and procedures, the System Security Plan, rules of behaviorNew family; the SSP now lives here as a first-class planning artifact
3.16 SYSTEM & SERVICES ACQUISITION — NEWSecurity engineering principles, unsupported components, external system servicesNew family; buying decisions get a security gate
3.17 SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT — NEWSCRM plan, acquisition strategies, supply chain controls and processesNew family; your vendors become part of your assessable posture

Why the three new families bite

The 14 carried-forward families are largely configuration families — a well-engineered Microsoft environment satisfies most of their objectives technically. The three new families are process families. Planning demands a living planning discipline, not a one-time SSP. System & Services Acquisition means purchases get evaluated for security before money moves. Supply Chain Risk Management means the vendors inside your boundary are identified, evaluated, and monitored — with records an assessor can examine.

Contractors whose Rev. 2 programs were tooling-heavy and process-light will feel the transition here, not in the crosswalk. That's not a reason to panic; it's a reason to assess readiness honestly and build the three processes deliberately.

Remember the governing rule: your contracts decide when Rev. 3 binds you. The families above matter today for planning and for early-moving civilian processes — see GSA — while most DoD work still assesses against Rev. 2. Full context in the Rev. 2 vs. Rev. 3 executive guide.

New families

Need the three process families built, not described?

Tell us where your program stands and a practitioner will scope Planning, Acquisition, and SCRM as working processes with evidence attached. Or email rj@indirectit.com directly.