Software Engineering Institute

The Acquisition Security Framework (ASF) is a collection of leading practices for building and operating secure and resilient systems across the systems lifecycle. These practices enable programs to evaluate risks and gaps in their processes for acquiring, engineering, and deploying secure systems and to exercise more insight and control over their supply chains. The ASF provides a roadmap for building security/resilience into a system rather than “bolting them on” after deployment. ASF practices promote proactive dialogue across all program and supplier teams, helping to integrate communication channels and facilitate information sharing. The framework helps programs coordinate their management of engineering and supply chain risks across the many components of a system. These risks require ongoing monitoring and management across all phases of the systems lifecycle due to the dynamic nature of the threat environment and the rapid evolution of technologies. The ASF is consistent with cybersecurity engineering, supply chain management, and risk management guidance from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This report builds on a previous report, Acquisition Security Framework (ASF): Managing Systems Cybersecurity Risk, and includes a full set of ASF practices.