NIST AI RMF, OWASP LLM Top 10 and MITRE ATLAS: The Technical Backbone Behind Every AI Law
Frameworks · 2024-11-05 · 10 min read · FilterPrompt Security Research
Laws set the obligation; frameworks set the how. Here's how NIST AI RMF, OWASP LLM Top 10 (2025) and MITRE ATLAS stack together into a single continuous LLM testing program.
Laws like the EU AI Act, U.S. executive orders and India's DPDP Act create the legal obligation to secure AI systems. They rarely specify how. That gap is filled by technical frameworks — NIST AI RMF, OWASP's Top 10 for LLM Applications, and MITRE ATLAS — which auditors, regulators and security teams treat as the de facto checklist for demonstrating compliance.
OWASP LLM Top 10 (2025) — the categories every scanner must cover
MITRE ATLAS — the attacker's playbook
ATLAS is structured like ATT&CK: tactics (reconnaissance, initial access, ML model access, execution, persistence, defence evasion, discovery, collection, exfiltration, impact) with techniques underneath. For LLM teams, the relevant technique groups include AML.T0051 (LLM Prompt Injection), AML.T0054 (LLM Jailbreak), AML.T0057 (LLM Data Leakage), and AML.T0053 (LLM Plugin Compromise). A serious LLM vulnerability scanner reproduces these techniques as executable probes, not just descriptions.
Why continuous scanning is the practical requirement
AI systems change constantly — foundation models are updated, system prompts are edited, RAG content is refreshed weekly, and new agent tools or MCP servers are connected. Each change can silently reopen a previously closed vulnerability. A one-time penetration test cannot certify a system that mutates weekly. This is the technical justification for continuous, automated scanning against the OWASP LLM Top 10 categories, with findings mapped to MITRE ATLAS techniques and reported against the NIST AI RMF's four functions.
How the frameworks stack together in practice
- Govern (NIST) — write policy that references OWASP LLM Top 10 as the minimum bar.
- Map (NIST) — inventory every LLM, agent, MCP server and RAG pipeline; map each to ATLAS tactics.
- Measure (NIST) — run continuous probes covering LLM01–LLM10 and report by ATLAS technique.
- Manage (NIST) — block, redact or roll back on regression; retain audit logs per your governing law.
