NERC CIP Configuration Compliance
NERC CIP-010 baselines,monitored continuously.
CISGuard automates the configuration baseline and change monitoring evidence at the heart of NERC CIP-010 and CIP-007, with air-gapped deployment built for control centers and Electronic Security Perimeters.
- Scope
- Bulk electric system: generation, transmission, control centers
- Standards family
- CIP-002 through CIP-013, plus subsequent additions
- Configuration hook
- CIP-010: baseline configurations, change monitoring, vulnerability assessments
- Enforcement
- NERC and Regional Entity audits, self-reporting, monetary penalties
- System security
- CIP-007: ports and services, patching, logging, access controls
- Air-gapped support
- Yes; designed for ESP-isolated control system networks
Overview
What is NERC CIP?
The NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards are mandatory, enforceable reliability standards for entities that own or operate the North American bulk electric system: generation, transmission, and control centers. The family runs from CIP-002 (categorizing BES Cyber Systems) through standards covering security management, personnel, electronic and physical security perimeters, system security management (CIP-007), incident response, recovery, configuration change management and vulnerability assessments (CIP-010), information protection, and supply chain risk (CIP-013). Compliance is enforced by NERC and its Regional Entities through audits and self-reports, with substantial monetary penalties for violations. CIP-010 is the configuration hook: it requires documented baseline configurations, monitoring for deviations, and periodic vulnerability assessments. That is CISGuard's native territory, delivered on-premises or fully air-gapped for environments where SaaS tooling cannot exist.
How CISGuard automates NERC CIP evidence
CIP-010 requires responsible entities to develop baseline configurations for BES Cyber Systems, authorize and document changes against them, and monitor for unauthorized deviations; CIP-007 requires least functionality, security event monitoring, and system access controls. Auditors and Regional Entities want dated evidence for each requirement per asset, and assembling it manually across a control center estate is a standing burden. For the Windows and Linux systems inside the ESP (EMS servers, HMIs, historians, engineering workstations), CISGuard automates the cycle: continuous CIS benchmark scans establish and verify configuration state, drift detection surfaces deviations from baseline with timestamps, and recurring scans build the historical record that supports periodic vulnerability assessment obligations. Everything runs on-premises or fully air-gapped, matching ESP network isolation, with evidence exportable for audit packages and self-reports. CISGuard does not replace your compliance program or determine CIP compliance; it produces the per-asset configuration evidence that program stands on.
Control mapping
CIP requirements CISGuard supports with technical evidence.
Each CIS control is tagged with its framework reference. One scan produces the per-framework coverage report, with satisfied, partially satisfied and not-met status for every control.
| Control area | Controls | Mapped by |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline Configurations | CIP-010 R1 (baseline development and change authorization) | CIS benchmark baselines + per-asset configuration state |
| Configuration Change Monitoring | CIP-010 R2 (monitoring for baseline deviations) | Drift detection + baseline comparison between scans |
| Vulnerability Assessments | CIP-010 R3 (periodic assessments) | Recurring CIS benchmark scans with historical comparison |
| Ports and Services | CIP-007 R1 (least functionality) | CIS benchmark checks on enabled ports and services |
| Security Event Monitoring | CIP-007 R4 (logging and alerting) | CIS Audit Policy benchmarks + SIEM forwarding |
| System Access Controls | CIP-007 R5 (authentication and password parameters) | CIS Account + Password Policy benchmarks |
Auditor evidence
Evidence artifacts CISGuard generates.
Auditor-grade outputs in PDF, HTML, JSON, CSV and SARIF. No spreadsheets, no screenshots, no manual cross-referencing.
- Per-asset baseline configuration state for BES Cyber Systems (Windows and Linux)
- Timestamped drift events evidencing CIP-010 R2 deviation monitoring
- Recurring scan history supporting CIP-010 R3 vulnerability assessment cycles
- Ports, services, and least-functionality evidence for CIP-007 R1
- Audit-policy and event-logging verification for CIP-007 R4
- Air-gapped deployment evidence for ESP-isolated environments
Frequently asked
NERC CIP questions, answered directly.
Which NERC CIP standards does CISGuard address?
CISGuard concentrates on the configuration-centric requirements: CIP-010 (baseline configurations, change monitoring, and vulnerability assessments) and CIP-007 (ports and services, security event monitoring, and system access controls). Requirements that are procedural or physical, such as personnel training (CIP-004), physical security (CIP-006), incident response (CIP-008), and recovery plans (CIP-009), remain with your compliance program; CISGuard supplies the technical evidence layer beneath them.
How does CISGuard support CIP-010 baseline and change monitoring?
CIP-010 requires documented baseline configurations for BES Cyber Systems and monitoring for deviations from them. CISGuard scans each in-scope Windows and Linux asset against CIS benchmark baselines, records the configuration state with timestamps, and flags any drift between scans as a dated, per-asset event. That produces exactly the deviation-monitoring record auditors ask for, plus the change history that supports your change authorization documentation.
Can CISGuard run inside an Electronic Security Perimeter with no internet access?
Yes, and that is the deployment it was built for. CISGuard installs from secure media and operates fully air-gapped: scanning, drift detection, reporting, and evidence export all run with zero external connectivity. Nothing inside the ESP communicates outward, which preserves your electronic access point posture. Benchmark content updates arrive through the same controlled offline media process your environment already uses.
Does CISGuard cover OT devices like relays and PLCs?
No. CISGuard scans operating system level assets: the Windows and Linux systems inside and around the ESP, such as EMS and SCADA servers, HMIs, historians, domain controllers, and engineering workstations. Field devices such as protective relays, RTUs, and PLCs are outside CIS benchmark scope and need OT-specific tooling. In most CIP audits, however, the OS-level estate generates the bulk of CIP-010 and CIP-007 evidence demands.
How does CISGuard evidence help with audits and self-reports?
CIP enforcement runs on documentation: Regional Entity audits sample per-asset evidence, and self-reports require you to establish exactly when a deviation began and ended. CISGuard's timestamped scan history answers both. For audits, the Framework Coverage Report and per-asset drill-downs are ready without a manual evidence sprint; for potential violations, drift events bound the deviation window precisely, supporting accurate self-reports and mitigation records.
NERC CIP readiness, on request.
Our compliance engineers have helped organizations achieve regulatory readiness through a seamless, fully managed deployment.