What is NERC CIP ?
NERC CIP (Critical Infrastructure Protection) standards are mandatory cybersecurity requirements for the North American electric grid. Published by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), they apply to owners and operators of Bulk Electric System (BES) assets in the United States and Canada. The 11 CIP standards cover critical asset identification, personnel management, electronic security perimeters, physical protection, system management, incident management, recovery plans, vulnerability management, information protection, communications, and supply chain management.
Key Points
- CIP-002: BES Cyber Systems identification and categorization by impact level (High, Medium, Low)
- CIP-005: Electronic Security Perimeters (ESP) for access points and remote access
- CIP-007: System management, patch management, logging, and monitoring
- CIP-010: Configuration management and vulnerability assessment
- CIP-013: Supply chain risk management for BES components
- Financial penalties up to $1 million USD per day per violation
Why Zaxyr
Zaxyr helps electric utility operators manage their compliance with all 11 NERC CIP standards. The platform automates BES Cyber System categorization, tracks requirements by impact level, collects compliance evidence, and prepares documentation for NERC audits. Mapping to IEC 62443 and NIST 800-82 enables a coherent approach to OT security.