Trust & Compliance / FISMA
FISMA
Enforce NIST SP 800‑53 controls on the data itself.
FISMA requires federal agencies — and the contractors that run systems on their behalf — to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of federal information, using the NIST SP 800-53 control catalog. XQ enforces key access control, audit, identification, communications protection and integrity controls at the data layer, and produces the logs your assessors and inspectors general will ask for.
Built for Federal agency CISOs, ISSOs and system owners · Contractors operating systems for an agency · Teams preparing an authorization to operate (ATO)
At a glance
LawFederal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014
ControlsNIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5
ProcessNIST Risk Management Framework, FIPS 199 categorization
XQ coversAC, AU, IA, SC and SI control families
Works with Microsoft Active Directory · Okta · AWS GovCloud · Azure Government · On-premises · SIEM tools
Least privilege on every file
Only users your policy authorizes can decrypt a given data object — inside or outside your network.
Audit trails built in
Encryption, decryption and access events are time-stamped, attributable and protected from tampering.
Control data that leaves
Information shared with other agencies, contractors or external systems stays encrypted and under your policy.
What FISMA requires
- An agency-wide information security program with documented policies and procedures.
- Security categorization of each system under FIPS 199, and selection of an NIST SP 800-53 control baseline.
- A security plan and authorization to operate for each system, following the NIST Risk Management Framework.
- Continuous monitoring and periodic assessment of security controls.
- Annual reporting to OMB and Congress, with independent evaluations by inspectors general.
How XQ maps to NIST SP 800-53
| Control | How XQ helps |
|---|---|
| AC-3 Access enforcement / AC-6 Least privilege | Data is encrypted and only users authorized by policy can decrypt it, which enforces least privilege on each data object. |
| AC-4 Information flow enforcement | Data is encrypted at the source and can only be decrypted by authorized parties, so policy governs where information can flow. |
| AC-16 Security and privacy attributes | Metadata tags and policy-based encryption bind security attributes to the data and define who can open it. |
| AC-17 Remote access / AC-19 Mobile devices | Data encrypted at the edge stays protected on remote connections and mobile devices; policy travels with the data. |
| AC-20 External systems / AC-21 Information sharing | Information sent to external systems and partners stays encrypted and under your control, with access you can revoke. |
| AC-23 Data mining protection | Each data object is encrypted with a unique key, so bulk harvesting of stored data yields nothing readable. |
| AU-2, AU-3, AU-8 Event logging, content and time stamps | Encryption, decryption and access attempts are logged with user identity, data accessed and precise timestamps. |
| AU-9 Protection of audit information / AU-10 Non-repudiation | Audit logs are protected against alteration, and every decryption is attributable to an authenticated user. |
| IA-2 Identification and authentication / IA-5 Authenticator management | XQ integrates with Microsoft Active Directory, Okta and MFA, so only authenticated users can obtain keys. |
| SC-8 Transmission confidentiality and integrity | Data is encrypted before it leaves the device and stays encrypted across every network. |
| SC-12 Key establishment and management / SC-13 Cryptographic protection | Keys are generated per data object, carry a defined expiration and are managed separately from the data. |
| SC-28 Protection of information at rest | Data stays encrypted wherever it is stored — file shares, cloud storage, email and databases. |
| SI-7 Software, firmware and information integrity | Encryption at the edge makes unauthorized modification of protected data detectable. |
Documenting data-layer controls for an ATO package?
What stays with your organization
XQ enforces your policies; it does not write them. Policy and procedure controls such as AC-1, AU-1 and IA-1 remain your documentation. Logon-attempt limits (AC-7) are handled by your identity provider, and input validation (SI-10) by your applications. Being clear about this boundary makes your control inheritance easier to document in the system security plan.
Controlled Unclassified Information
Many FISMA systems also exchange CUI with contractors, who must protect it under NIST SP 800-171. XQ applies the same data-layer controls on both sides of that exchange.
Related resources and articles
FAQ
FISMA, answered directly.
What is FISMA?
The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 requires federal agencies to run information security programs that protect federal information and systems. It relies on NIST standards, chiefly the SP 800-53 control catalog and the Risk Management Framework.
Does FISMA apply to contractors?
Yes, when a contractor operates or maintains an information system on behalf of a federal agency. Those systems must meet the same FISMA requirements as agency systems.
Which NIST SP 800-53 controls does XQ address?
XQ supports controls in the access control, audit and accountability, identification and authentication, system and communications protection, and system and information integrity families — including AC-3, AC-4, AU-2, AU-9, IA-2, SC-8, SC-12, SC-28 and SI-7.
Does XQ make a system FISMA compliant on its own?
No single product does. FISMA compliance is established through your security program, categorization, controls and authorization. XQ implements data-layer controls within that program and supplies evidence for them.
Which controls remain the agency’s responsibility?
XQ enforces your policies; it does not write them. Policy and procedure controls such as AC-1, AU-1 and IA-1 remain your documentation, logon-attempt limits (AC-7) are handled by your identity provider, and input validation (SI-10) by your applications — a boundary that makes control inheritance easier to document in the system security plan.
Has XQ been validated in a federal zero trust architecture?
Yes. AWS validated XQ for the Data pillar of AWS ZTAG-I, AWS’s reference zero trust architecture for the U.S. federal government, aligned with the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model and the DoD Zero Trust Strategy. That validation supports an agency’s zero trust program; it does not replace a system’s own authorization to operate.
Protect federal data wherever it goes.
Request a briefing on enforcing NIST SP 800-53 controls at the data layer in your environment.