A Community Profile is a baseline of CSF outcomes published for a sector, subsector, technology or threat type. NIST says you can use one as the basis for your own Target Profile. Adopt it as a starting draft, then adjust to your scope and risk, and record what you changed and why.
What NIST says
NIST defines a Community Profile as a baseline of CSF outcomes created and published to address shared interests among a number of organizations. It is typically developed for a particular sector, subsector, technology, threat type or other use case. NIST publishes a guide to creating them and a template.
Examples listed on the NIST site include a Manufacturing profile, an Incident Response profile, a Ransomware Risk Management profile, a Semiconductor profile and a Cloud Security profile from the Cloud Security Alliance. NIST notes that some listed items are drafts or come from other organizations, so check the status of the one you pick.
When it helps
A Community Profile saves you from starting at a blank page. It is most useful when:
- you operate in a sector that has one,
- a customer or regulator already refers to it,
- you want an outside reference for what a good target looks like.
How to adopt one
- Confirm scope. Does the profile address your sector or technology, and is it final or a draft?
- Copy its outcomes into your Target Profile column of the spreadsheet.
- Mark each outcome as in scope, out of scope or modified. Write a reason for every change.
- Build your Current Profile honestly against the same rows.
- Run the gap analysis and plan, as in our five step guide.
Pitfalls
Copying every outcome as mandatory creates a plan nobody can finish. Rank by your risk.
Treating a Community Profile as a certification is another mistake. It is a baseline for comparison. NIST describes the CSF as describing outcomes, not prescribing how to reach them or requiring any attestation.
Finally, using a draft as if it were final. Note the version and date in the profile header.
Try it yourself
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen. Look at how one baseline can be viewed against more than one framework, which helps when you adopt a community baseline alongside another standard.
Quick check
Can I edit a Community Profile for my own use?
Yes. NIST says it can be the basis for your Target Profile, so tailor it and record your reasons.
Is a Community Profile mandatory in its sector?
Not by itself. It is a published baseline. Check whether a customer or regulator asks for it.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
