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GRC & Compliance·Updated 2026-10-21

What are the CIS Controls?

Short answer

The CIS Critical Security Controls are a prioritized set of security safeguards published by the Center for Internet Security. They are grouped into Implementation Groups, and IG1 is described by CIS as essential cyber hygiene, a practical baseline for small organizations.

The details

Because each safeguard is specific, the CIS Controls are useful for turning a framework such as NIST CSF into a concrete task list.

Terms explained

CIS Controls
The CIS Critical Security Controls are a prioritized set of security safeguards from the Center for Internet Security, grouped into Implementation Groups, with IG1 as a baseline for small organizations.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 is voluntary guidance for managing cybersecurity risk, organized into six functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover.

Sources

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