In the context of NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) standards, POA&M stands for Plan of Action and Milestones. It’s a document that identifies tasks that need to be accomplished to rectify a security weakness, reduce or eliminate known vulnerabilities, and achieve full compliance with a security standard like NIST 800-171.

APOA&M includes:

• A detailed description of the weakness or vulnerability
• The proposed corrective actions to be taken
• The priority of the actions
• The responsible parties for these actions
• The target completion dates

Here’s an example of what a POA&M might look like:

Weakness: Weak encryption algorithms in use

Corrective Action: Update to stronger encryption standards

Priority: High

Responsible Party: IT Department

Target Completion Date: Q2 2024

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‍Weakness: Lack of multi-factor authentication

Corrective Action: Implement MFA for all users

Priority: Medium

Responsible Party: IT Department

Target Completion Date: Q3 2024

In this example, the organization has identified two weaknesses: the use of weak encryption algorithms and the lack of multi-factor authentication. The POA&M then outlines the actions to be taken, who is responsible for those actions, and when they aim to complete these actions. This helps the organization track their progress towards resolving security weaknesses and achieving compliance with NIST 800-171.

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