DHS Zero Trust Capability Framework (ZTCF)

Why it Matters

The DHS Zero Trust Capability Framework enables organizations tosystematically address modern cyber threats by establishing robust,adaptive security practices.

Key benefits include:

• Strengthen cybersecurity governance

Supportleadership in making informed risk management decisions andallocating resources to safeguard critical systems and data.

• Enhance regulatory alignment

Facilitatealignment with federal cybersecurity mandates and streamline effortsto maintain compliance with evolving regulatory requirements.

• Improve access controls

Reduceunauthorized access risk through continuous authentication andauthorization, ensuring users and devices are consistently verified.

• Promote operational resilience

Improve theorganization's ability to withstand and recover from cyber incidentsby applying comprehensive segmentation and monitoring strategies.

• Increase audit readiness

Provide cleardocumentation and repeatable processes that improve transparency andpreparedness for security assessments and audits.

How it Works

The DHS Zero Trust Capability Framework (ZTCF) establishes astructured approach to cybersecurity by organizing requirements intoa set of capability areas aligned with the zero trust architecturemodel. The framework outlines governance domains such as identity,device, network, application, data, and visibility/analytics, eachmapped to key security controls and implementation safeguards. Thisstructure facilitates a comprehensive assessment of an organization’ssecurity posture against zero trust principles by defining corecapabilities and maturity levels.

Organizations apply the ZTCF by conducting gap assessments, mappingthe framework’s capabilities to internal policies, and deployingsecurity controls that address identified risks. This practicalimplementation includes continuous monitoring, updating accesscontrols, and integrating the framework with existing NIST SpecialPublications and regulatory requirements to ensure ongoingcompliance. Regular reviews and iterative improvements helporganizations maintain alignment with evolving threats and zero trustbest practices.

With SmartSuite, organizations operationalize the DHS ZTCF throughcapabilities like centralized control libraries, risk registers fortracking key risks to zero trust objectives, and policy managementmodules. The platform enables evidence collection, compliancetracking across capability areas, and workflow automation forremediation tasks. Reporting dashboards in SmartSuite facilitateaudit readiness and continuous monitoring, supporting governance andregulatory compliance.

Key Elements

• Identity and Access Management Domains

Specifiesauthentication, authorization, and user verification requirements forinternal and external users.

• Least Privilege and Segmentation Controls

Outlinesmechanisms for restricting access to resources and segmentingnetworks based on risk and trust levels.

• Data Protection Capabilities

Defines measuresand technologies for safeguarding sensitive data at rest, in use, andin transit.

• Continuous Monitoring and Analytics

Describesrequirements for real-time security visibility, behavior analysis,and incident detection across environments.

• Policy Enforcement Architecture

Establishesprotocols for enforcing policy decisions consistently across users,devices, applications, and services.

• Governance and Compliance Integration

Organizesoversight, audit, and reporting functions to ensure alignment withregulatory and agency mandates.

Framework Scope

The DHS Zero Trust Capability Framework (ZTCF) is adopted by federalagencies and entities supporting critical infrastructure to guide thedeployment of zero trust security measures. It regulates accesscontrols, identity management, network segmentation, and monitoringacross IT and operational environments, and is typically implementedwhen aligning with government cybersecurity directives and supportingassurance programs.

Framework Objectives

The DHS Zero Trust Capability Framework (ZTCF) provides acomprehensive approach to enhancing cybersecurity resilience andsupporting robust risk management strategies.

Strengthen cybersecurity governance to address evolving threats andregulatory requirements

Enhance risk management by eliminating implicit trust and enforcingsecurity controls

Safeguard sensitive data through continuous authentication and robustaccess management

Improve compliance oversight by aligning with governmental mandatesand standards

Promote operational resilience with proactive monitoring and rapidincident detection

Support audit readiness by documenting controls and enablingcontinuous program improvement The DHS Zero Trust CapabilityFramework (ZTCF) is aligned with standards such as the CISA ZeroTrust Maturity Model, NIST SP 800-207, and NIST CybersecurityFramework (CSF). Organizations typically implement ZTCF to advancezero trust adoption, support federal security mandates, and enhanceoperational resilience in complex, hybrid cloud and multi-agencyenvironments.

Common Framework Mappings

The DHS Zero Trust Capability Framework is frequently mapped to otherestablished cybersecurity and compliance frameworks to ensurecomprehensive security postures and facilitate regulatory alignmentacross diverse environments.

Mapped frameworks include:

CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model

CIS Critical Security Controls

FedRAMP

ISO/IEC 27001

MITRE ATT&CK

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

NIST SP 800-207

NIST SP 800-53

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