FedRAMP Authorization Support
FedRAMP authorization,continuously monitored.
CISGuard maps 50 NIST 800-53 controls supporting FedRAMP Moderate and High baselines, with air-gapped deployment for High and IL4/IL5 environments and automated Continuous Monitoring satisfying CA-7.
- NIST 800-53 controls mapped
- 50 across 13 families; supports Moderate and High
- Air-gapped deployment
- Required for FedRAMP High + IL4/IL5; supported by CISGuard
- Continuous Monitoring (CA-7)
- Automated; every scan compared to baseline
- POA&M support
- Exception register replaces manual POA&M docs
- Authorization body
- JAB (Joint Authorization Board) or sponsoring agency
- StateRAMP compatibility
- Yes; StateRAMP derives from FedRAMP baselines
Overview
What is FedRAMP?
FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) is the U.S. government program standardizing security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services used by federal agencies. FedRAMP authorization requires compliance with NIST 800-53 controls at Low, Moderate, High, or High+IL4/IL5 impact levels. The High baseline is the most demanding civilian standard. Continuous Monitoring (ConMon), the requirement to demonstrate ongoing control effectiveness, disqualifies most legacy point-in-time scanning tools. CISGuard's continuous CIS benchmark scanning + NIST 800-53 mapping + air-gapped deployment directly support the technical control automation FedRAMP requires.
How CISGuard automates FedRAMP evidence
FedRAMP authorization requires three rounds of evidence: initial assessment, authorization, and ongoing ConMon. Most authorization delays stem from gaps in continuous monitoring evidence: controls that can be shown on day one but not consistently over the authorization period. CISGuard's continuous CIS scanning produces the ConMon evidence (CA-7) directly. NIST 800-53 mapping accelerates the SSP (System Security Plan) authoring by providing per-control implementation evidence in the format 3PAOs (Third Party Assessment Organizations) consume. Air-gapped deployment supports FedRAMP High and IL4/IL5 environments where commercial SaaS tools are prohibited.
Control mapping
FedRAMP-relevant control families CISGuard automates.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Access Control (AC) | AC-2, AC-3, AC-6, AC-7, AC-11, AC-17 | CIS Account + Identity benchmarks |
| Audit and Accountability (AU) | AU-2, AU-3, AU-6, AU-9, AU-12 | CIS Audit Policy benchmarks |
| Configuration Management (CM) | CM-2, CM-3, CM-6, CM-7, CM-8 | Continuous CIS scanning + drift detection |
| Identification & Authentication (IA) | IA-2, IA-3, IA-4, IA-5, IA-6, IA-8 | CIS Password + MFA + SSO controls |
| Risk Assessment (RA) | RA-5 | Vulnerability hardening via CIS benchmarks |
| System and Communications Protection (SC) | SC-7, SC-8, SC-13 | CIS Cryptography + Network benchmarks |
| Continuous Assessment (CA) | CA-7 | Continuous CIS posture monitoring |
Auditor evidence
Evidence artifacts CISGuard generates.
Auditor-grade outputs in PDF, HTML, JSON, CSV and SARIF. No spreadsheets, no screenshots, no manual cross-referencing.
- NIST 800-53 Framework Coverage Report formatted for SSP integration
- ConMon evidence stream satisfying CA-7: continuous, not point-in-time
- Per-control implementation evidence consumable by 3PAOs
- POA&M-ready exception register replacing manual workflow
- Air-gapped deployment evidence for High/IL4/IL5 boundary
- Annual assessment artifact production via Framework Coverage Report
Frequently asked
FedRAMP questions, answered directly.
Does CISGuard support FedRAMP High authorization?
Yes. CISGuard maps 50 NIST 800-53 controls supporting both Moderate and High baselines. For FedRAMP High and IL4/IL5 environments where internet connectivity is prohibited, CISGuard's air-gapped deployment installs from secure media with zero external dependency: the only compliant mode for these classification levels.
How does CISGuard help with FedRAMP Continuous Monitoring (ConMon)?
Continuous Monitoring is the hardest FedRAMP requirement and the most common ongoing-authorization gap. CISGuard runs scheduled scans every 4-24 hours, compares each against the previous baseline, and stores historical posture trends across 365 days. This is the direct implementation of CA-7 and the evidence ConMon reviewers expect.
Can CISGuard replace my POA&M (Plan of Action & Milestones) workflow?
CISGuard's exception management workflow provides the same function as a POA&M for configuration controls: documented justification, approval chain, compensating controls, and auto-expiry. For non-configuration items, customers typically continue using a GRC tool for POA&M; CISGuard feeds remediation data into it.
Will my 3PAO accept CISGuard evidence?
That is the 3PAO's decision, but CISGuard generates evidence a 3PAO can review: per-control satisfaction status, underlying scan data, historical trend, and audit trail. The Framework Coverage Report integrates into the System Security Plan (SSP) without translation work.
Does CISGuard support StateRAMP and TX-RAMP?
Yes. StateRAMP (state-level) and TX-RAMP (Texas) derive from FedRAMP baselines and NIST 800-53. The same control mapping applies. Some state programs accept FedRAMP authorization as reciprocity; CISGuard evidence supports both routes.
FedRAMP readiness, on request.
Our compliance engineers have helped organizations achieve regulatory readiness through a seamless, fully managed deployment.