NIST ID.BE-2: Critical Infrastructure Identification
Knowing whether your organization operates as critical infrastructure fundamentally shapes your compliance obligations and risk profile. NIST ID.BE-2 requires you to formally identify your place within critical infrastructure ecosystems and communicate that status across your organization. This foundational control determines which additional regulatory frameworks may apply to your business.
What this means
Critical Infrastructure Identification (ID.BE-2) requires organizations to assess and document their role within critical infrastructure sectors identified by the U.S. government—such as energy, financial services, healthcare, water systems, and telecommunications. You must understand whether your organization operates essential services, supports critical functions, or supplies critical infrastructure operators. Once identified, this classification must be clearly communicated internally to stakeholders, security teams, and leadership so compliance and security strategies can be appropriately scoped and resourced.
How to comply
- 1.Review CISA's Critical Infrastructure Sectors list and determine which sector(s) your organization operates within
- 2.Assess whether your organization provides essential services, manages critical assets, or supplies/supports critical infrastructure operators
- 3.Document your organization's critical infrastructure classification and the rationale behind it
- 4.Identify regulatory bodies and frameworks that apply based on your critical infrastructure status (e.g., NERC-CIP for energy, HIPAA for healthcare)
- 5.Communicate your critical infrastructure designation to executive leadership, board members, and relevant departments
- 6.Establish a process to review and update your critical infrastructure classification annually or when business operations change
- 7.Ensure security and compliance teams understand implications for incident response, reporting requirements, and regulatory timelines
Evidence auditors look for
- Documented critical infrastructure sector classification with supporting business justification
- Written communication to leadership and employees regarding critical infrastructure status
- Regulatory impact assessment showing which frameworks apply based on your classification
- Organizational policies referencing critical infrastructure designation and its compliance implications
- Board minutes or governance records documenting awareness and approval of critical infrastructure status
- Annual review records confirming continued accuracy of critical infrastructure classification
Frequently asked questions
When will FAQs be available?
The FAQ for this control is currently being prepared.
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