CIS Controls Self-Assessment Tool (CSAT)
Definition
A free web-based tool provided by CIS that allows organisations to score their current implementation status for each Safeguard and generate a gap report. Auditors use CSAT to structure assessments and produce repeatable documentation of findings.
- Publisher
- Center for Internet Security (CIS)
- Cost
- Free, web-based
- Function
- Scores implementation status per CIS Safeguard
- Output
- Gap report against target Implementation Group
Common questions
How does CSAT differ from just reading the CIS Controls document?+
CSAT turns the static list of Safeguards into a structured scoring exercise, prompting the assessor to record a status for each one, so the output is a repeatable, comparable gap report rather than an informal read-through.
Who typically uses CSAT in an assessment?+
Internal security teams and external auditors use it to structure a CIS Controls gap assessment, walking through each Safeguard, recording current implementation status, and generating documentation that supports later audit or remediation planning.
Does a high CSAT score guarantee a secure environment?+
No, the score reflects self-reported implementation against a checklist and does not replace technical validation such as penetration testing or configuration audits, which confirm the controls actually work as claimed.
Related terms
- CIS Benchmark
- A technology-specific configuration hardening guide published by CIS for operating systems, cloud services, databases, and applications. Each Benchmark provides Level 1 (broadly...
- CIS Controls V8
- The eighth version of the CIS Critical Security Controls, released in May 2021. It consolidates 18 Controls and 153 Safeguards, reorganised from...
- Crosswalk
- A published table that aligns controls from two frameworks side by side to show which controls address the same security objective. NIST,...
- Implementation Group (IG)
- A CIS Controls concept that divides the 153 safeguards across three tiers by organisational size and risk profile. IG1 (56 safeguards) covers...
- Safeguard
- The individual action item within a CIS Control. Each Safeguard specifies a concrete activity (for example, 'establish and maintain an accurate inventory...