NIST SP 800-30 Risk Assessment
Structure threat, vulnerability, likelihood, impact, uncertainty, and risk determination for decision-makers.
On this page · 4 sections
Applicability & intent
SP 800-30 provides guidance for conducting risk assessments as part of risk management. The assessment should be scoped to decisions and updated as assumptions change.
- Document why nist sp 800-30 risk assessment applies, what is in scope, and who is accountable.
- Translate obligations into owned, testable outcomes with proportionate evidence.
- Track exceptions, residual risk, changes, and corrective actions through governance review.
Governance lifecycle
- 01
Confirm scope, context, interested parties, legal or contractual basis, and authoritative sources.
- 02
Identify desired outcomes, owners, dependencies, existing controls, and evidence sources.
- 03
Assess design and operating effectiveness using representative, time-bound evidence.
- 04
Record gaps, risk, interim protections, target dates, and approval decisions.
- 05
Verify remediation, report residual risk, and schedule reassessment when context changes.
Evidence & assurance
| Evidence family | Assurance question |
|---|---|
| assessment purpose and scope | Does governance establish accountable direction? |
| threat, vulnerability, likelihood, and impact basis | Does the process operate consistently? |
| risk results, uncertainty, and communication | Can the claimed outcome be independently verified? |
Evidence should be attributable, current, protected, reproducible, and linked to an accountable owner. A document alone does not demonstrate that a control operates effectively.
Readiness decisions
- State assumptions and information limitations.
- Use multiple evidence sources.
- Update assessments after material changes.