Status Update on NIST Special Publication 800-53, Revision 4, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations 

NIST continues to work on the final changes to SP 800-53, Revision 4. At the present time, our best estimate for completion (either final publication or final draft) is the end of January 2013. We are working as rapidly as possible to complete the publication and will keep you informed on a regular basis as to its current status. The publication delays have been largely driven by the size and complexity of the update and the continuing interaction with our partners and working groups to address the information security issues of greatest concern to our customers. 

For the past three years, NIST has been working in partnership with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) to develop a common information security framework for the federal government and its contractors under the Joint Task Force Transformation Initiative. NIST SP 800-53, Revision 4, is a critical component in the unified framework.