Understanding the Transition: FFIEC's Move from CAT to NIST (part 1)
- J Michael Smith
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
CAT Tool Is Out. NIST is in. Here’s What You Need to Know.
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) has officially transitioned away from its Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (CAT) and is now recommending the use of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) as the baseline for cybersecurity compliance.
This shift is a major milestone for institutions in highly regulated industries such as banking, credit unions, and financial services.
Why the change?
Modernization: The NIST CSF is more adaptive, scalable, and up-to-date with the evolving threat landscape.
Alignment with national standards: Using NIST CSF aligns regulated entities with broader federal cybersecurity expectations.
Flexibility: NIST’s framework allows for better tailoring to different sizes, risk profiles, and operational complexity.
What does this mean?
The CAT tool will no longer be maintained.
Institutions are expected to transition to the NIST CSF, particularly the new 2.0 version, which includes updated guidance on governance, supply chain risk, and organizational roles.
FFIEC examiners will begin assessing cybersecurity posture using NIST-aligned documentation and practices.
What you should do now:
Evaluate your current CAT-based assessments.
Start mapping CAT controls to NIST CSF functions.
Begin updating your cybersecurity documentation and risk management framework.
In Part 2: We’ll break down the specifics of NIST CSF 2.0, how it compares to CAT, and what steps you should prioritize for compliance.
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