HCL BigFix is now SCAP 1.3 Validated
We’re pleased to share that HCL BigFix has achieved SCAP 1.3 validation—an important step forward for federal agencies working to meet evolving NIST and FISMA requirements. With this validation, BigFix helps streamline compliance by automating security configuration assessments, simplifying checklist generation, and enabling continuous monitoring across Windows and Linux systems. It’s one more way we’re supporting our federal customers with tools that make it easier to meet strict security mandates and respond quickly to threats.
We achieved this by enhancing BigFix Compliance’s SCAP import and assessment pipeline to process SCAP 1.3 data streams (e.g., XCCDF, OVAL) and generate results for Windows and Linux endpoints.
What is SCAP 1.3?
The Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) is a suite of specifications maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It standardizes how organizations automate vulnerability management, measurement, and policy compliance evaluation. SCAP 1.3 builds on previous versions with enhancements and clarifications to the SCAP 1.2 standard.
Key components of SCAP 1.3 include:
XCCDF (Extensible Configuration Checklist Description Format): Expresses security checklists and benchmarks
OVAL (Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language): Specifies security content, including vulnerability definitions and configuration settings
Asset identification: Offers robust, standardized methods for uniquely identifying software
Data transport and exchange: Standardizes formats for exchanging security data
Why SCAP 1.3 is important
SCAP 1.3 strengthens cybersecurity by enabling automated and consistent security configuration and vulnerability management. Key benefits include:
Standardization: Establishes a common language and methodology for security automation, supporting interoperability across tools
Automation: Reduces manual work and human error by automatically checking for compliance and identifying vulnerabilities
Efficiency: Delivers repeatable processes for assessing and remediating security weaknesses
Improved reporting: Provides standardized reports to help track security posture and demonstrate compliance
Enhanced security: Supports continuous monitoring and faster remediation of deviations from security baselines
How SCAP 1.3 validation supports federal security priorities
SCAP 1.3 validation for HCL BigFix is especially significant for our federal customers. Federal agencies operate under strict mandates, and compliance with NIST standards is a requirement—not a recommendation.
Here’s how BigFix supports our federal customers:
NIST compliance: SCAP 1.3 validation helps agencies meet requirements under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) and other cybersecurity frameworks
Automated audits and reporting: BigFix automates compliance checks against federal benchmarks and simplifies audit preparation with standardized reporting
More checklist content: Since most CIS and DISA STIG checklists are available in XCCDF and OVAL, BigFix streamlines checklist creation and accelerates delivery
Custom content support: Agencies can import XCCDF and OVAL content for Windows and Linux systems to create their own checklists, even for products we don’t natively support. These checklists may contain hundreds of automatically generated fixlets and analyses
Continuous monitoring: BigFix enables ongoing assessment against SCAP-defined policies, helping identify and fix non-compliant configurations quickly
Reduced risk: Automated detection and enforcement of security policies help agencies reduce their attack surface and mitigate threats
Operational efficiency: Automating compliance and vulnerability workflows frees IT and security teams to focus on higher-priority initiatives
Trusted solution: SCAP 1.3 validation provides independent confirmation of BigFix’s ability to meet government-grade security requirements