Unofficial guides to NIST and other security frameworks
Security frameworks in plain English. Each guide explains what a requirement means, what an assessor will ask for, and who owns it. The comics help it stick for new team members.
Start with NIST SP 800-53, the control catalog behind federal systems, and zero trust. More frameworks are on the way, and each one links back to the 800-53 controls it touches.
All 20 control families in plain English, with the evidence assessors ask for, who owns each control, and Low, Moderate, High, and Privacy baselines.
Zero trust in plain English: the seven tenets, how each access decision is made, the threats to watch, and NIST's migration steps, with an interactive walkthrough and links to the 800-53 controls behind each item.
Which new algorithms replace RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography, and how to plan the move before quantum computers can break today's encryption.
The six functions (Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover) explained for leaders and teams.
Requirements for protecting CUI on nonfederal systems, and how each one traces back to 800-53.
The certification levels defense contractors need, and what assessors check at each level.
Use whichever fits the moment: a reference while you work, a quick story for a new teammate, or a picture of how the pieces fit.
Every requirement explained, with the evidence assessors ask for and who owns it.
Open the 800-53 guideShort episodes that show new team members why each area matters, starring Riley, Dee, Sam, and Glitch.
Read the comicsInteractive diagrams you can step through, starting with how a zero trust system decides one request.
Follow one requestA comic series that helps kids about 6 to 10 stay safe, smart, and kind online: passwords, scams, strangers, privacy, kindness, fake news, and AI. Every episode ends with a Glow Rule and questions to talk about together.
Control Squad turns security frameworks into something teams can read and act on. Each guide keeps the official text one click away and names the publication and version it follows.
The plain-language summaries, evidence lists, and ownership notes are written to help you prepare. Confirm them against the official publication and your own system's documentation.
Control Squad is an independent project. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by NIST, the Department of Defense, or any government agency. The official publications always govern.