A nonprofit organization dedicated to improving global cybersecurity readiness and resilience through the development of best practices, benchmarks, and collaborative initiatives. Founded in 2000, CIS is best known for producing the CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks, which have become industry standards for securing systems, applications, and networks.
Mission and Role
CIS’s mission is to make the connected world safer by fostering a community-driven approach to cybersecurity. It works with experts from government, academia, and the private sector to create practical, consensus-based security guidance that organizations of all sizes can implement. The goal is to simplify cybersecurity into actionable steps that protect against the most common and impactful threats.
Key Offerings
- CIS Controls: A prioritized set of security best practices designed to help organizations prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats. The controls are organized into Implementation Groups (IG1-IG3), which allow organizations to adopt measures proportionate to their size, resources, and risk profile. These controls cover core areas such as asset management, data protection, access control, and incident response.
- CIS Benchmarks: Secure configuration guidelines for operating systems, cloud platforms, databases, and applications. Benchmarks provide detailed, vendor-agnostic recommendations on how to harden systems against vulnerabilities. They are updated regularly in collaboration with subject matter experts and mapped to other frameworks such as NIST, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS.
- CIS Hardened Images: Pre-configured virtual machine images built to CIS Benchmark standards, available through major cloud providers. They enable organizations to deploy secure systems quickly without manual configuration.
- MS-ISAC and EI-ISAC: The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) and Elections Infrastructure ISAC (EI-ISAC), both operated by CIS, support U.S. state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments by providing threat intelligence, incident response assistance, and security awareness resources.
Importance of CIS in Cybersecurity
CIS plays a crucial role in unifying global security efforts by offering freely accessible, practical tools that help organizations mature their defenses without overwhelming complexity. Its resources are widely adopted by enterprises, small businesses, and government agencies as foundational elements of cybersecurity programs. By emphasizing collaboration and continuous improvement, CIS ensures that its controls and benchmarks evolve alongside emerging threats, helping organizations stay aligned with modern security standards while maintaining operational efficiency.