NIST SP 800-171, requirement by requirement.
If you handle Controlled Unclassified Information for the U.S. government, SP 800-171 defines how you protect it. TruOps keeps each requirement, its evidence, and its gaps in one place.
Each mapping is labeled exact, partial, or inferred, with a source.
NIST Special Publication 800-171 sets security requirements for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in nonfederal systems. Revision 2 has 110 requirements in 14 families and is the basis of CMMC Level 2. Revision 3, published in May 2024, restructured them into 97 requirements across 17 families. Defense contractors under DFARS 252.204-7012 must implement these requirements.
- Published by
- NIST
- Revision 2
- 110 requirements, 14 families
- Revision 3
- 97 requirements, 17 families (May 2024)
- Assessment guide
- SP 800-171A
Who needs 800-171
Contractors and subcontractors that process, store, or transmit CUI, most commonly in the U.S. defense industrial base. DoD contractors self-assess against the DoD Assessment Methodology and report a score (up to 110) in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS).
The challenge
800-171 has 110 requirements that each need a status, an owner, and proof. An out-of-date self-assessment makes your SPRS score hard to defend.
- CMMC uses Rev. 2 and NIST has published Rev. 3, and teams struggle to track either.
- Gaps are known, but they aren't dated, owned, or closed within the windows CMMC allows.
- Subcontractors have the same obligations and no shared evidence.
What you're probably using today
Almost nobody starts NIST SP 800-171 from scratch. You already have a program somewhere, and TruOps picks up from there.
| What you use now | Where it falls short | With TruOps |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheets, shared drives, and email | Your program lives in folders named after last year's audit. Owners paste screenshots the week before fieldwork, and nothing is dated, so you can't show what was true last quarter. | Upload those same files. TruOps pre-fills the assessment from them, cites every answer, and keeps technical checks running so you have evidence for the whole period. |
| SOC 2 automation tools | Great for getting certified, with automated tests, a big framework library, and often a trust center. Maturity scoring, custom frameworks, and deeper risk or vendor work can fall outside what they cover. | Keep your automated checks. Use any framework as your anchor, map the rest with partial overlaps clearly marked, and run vendor and risk work in the same place. Start with the policies and reports you already have. |
| Enterprise GRC suites | They can model almost anything, but that flexibility usually runs through implementation partners and admins, so every change turns into a project. | AI reads your existing documents and sets up the program. Your first assessment opens pre-filled with sources, and you make changes by asking in plain language. |
Rev. 2 and Rev. 3
Revision 3 aligned requirements more closely with SP 800-53 Rev. 5 and introduced organization-defined parameters. CMMC Level 2 currently references Revision 2's 110 requirements, so many contractors track both.
How TruOps helps with NIST SP 800-171
Pick NIST SP 800-171 as your anchor, or map it to the framework you already run. TruOps keeps NIST SP 800-171's own structure, down to the individual requirement, and shows coverage per requirement as satisfied, partial, or open, with the evidence behind each.
Upload what you have (prior reports, policies, spreadsheets) and TruOps pre-fills your NIST SP 800-171 assessment with cited answers. Connected tools keep technical controls current on the schedule you set, and failed checks become findings with a recommended fix.
Gaps become findings with owners and dates, giving you everything you need for a plan of action and milestones (POA&M).
How TruOps helps
- Anchor or map
- Use 800-171 as your anchor or map it to another framework, and your work counts once.
- Pre-filled assessment
- Your 800-171 assessment opens with the answers your evidence supports already filled, each cited.
- Accurate coverage
- Partial coverage is clearly marked, with the remaining requirements listed.
- Continuous monitoring
- Technical controls checked against your tools, from hourly to quarterly.
- Findings with fixes
- Failed checks become grouped findings with a recommended action.
- Audit-ready snapshots
- Results saved as of their date, with the evidence trail attached.
Questions
How many requirements are in NIST 800-171?
Revision 2 has 110 requirements in 14 families. Revision 3 (May 2024) has 97 requirements in 17 families.
Which revision does CMMC use?
CMMC Level 2 references NIST SP 800-171 Revision 2.
What is an SPRS score?
A self-assessment score, up to 110, calculated with the DoD Assessment Methodology and reported in the Supplier Performance Risk System.
Can TruOps produce a POA&M?
TruOps tracks each gap as a finding with an owner, plan, and due date, which is everything a POA&M needs. See What is a POA&M?
Do we have to rip out the tools we already use?
No. TruOps connects to your cloud, identity, endpoint, vulnerability, and code tools. Spreadsheets, prior reports, and policies upload into the Data Room. If you're moving from a SOC 2 automation tool or an enterprise GRC suite, you bring over your frameworks, evidence, vendors, and risks.
Can we bring our existing assessments, control lists, and vendor files?
Yes. Upload workbooks, reports, policies, and vendor exports. TruOps turns them into structured questionnaires, controls, and risks, each linked to the file it came from, for you to review.
Does TruOps replace our auditor, QSA, or certification body?
No. Only a licensed auditor, QSA, C3PAO, or accredited certification body can issue the opinion. TruOps keeps your evidence current, sourced, and dated so fieldwork goes quickly.
Related
Levels 1 to 3 for the defense industrial base.
→Use casesCMMC readinessKnow your score, close your gaps, and show your evidence.
→LearnPOA&MPlans of action and milestones, explained.
→IndustriesGovernment contractorsCMMC, NIST SP 800-171, and SPRS, with the evidence assessors expect.
→See it run on your own data.
Book 30 minutes with a GRC specialist. Bring a real document, like a SOC 2 report, risk register, or vendor list (redacted is fine), and we'll show TruOps AI working on it.