On November 2, 2026, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released a new cybersecurity guide tailored for solopreneurs. The publication aims to help solo business owners understand cybersecurity basics and reduce risk.
New Guide Tailored for Solo Business Owners
The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced the release of Small Business Cybersecurity: Non-Employer Firms, also known as NIST Cybersecurity White Paper 50. The publication is a lay-language resource designed for solopreneurs, which refers to individuals who are a business's sole paid employee. More than 28 million small businesses in the United States fit into this category across various industries.
According to NIST, the updated publication draws guidelines from the NIST Cybersecurity Framework while remaining accessible to novices. Daniel Eliot, one of the publication's authors, noted that the guide assumes readers have no prior familiarity with cybersecurity or the framework.
Actionable Best Practices and Framework Integration
The guide provides an actionable approach to implementing a small-business cybersecurity program with minimal financial investment or technical knowledge. Opening sections introduce cybersecurity fundamentals, while central sections offer specific actions from the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
Recommended practices include performing regular data backups, maintaining updated software, and changing default passwords assigned by manufacturers on devices such as Wi-Fi routers. The document also includes worksheets for inventorying assets and three hypothetical use cases featuring a lawyer, an artisan, and a business consultant.
What to do
- Perform regular data backups and maintain updated software.
- Change default passwords assigned by a manufacturer to a device, such as Wi-Fi routers.
- Review security settings on all devices and create unique, strong passwords.
Key facts and where they come from
- Daniel Eliot is one of the authors of the publication.
NIST’s Daniel Eliot, one of the publication’s authors.
- The publication draws guidelines from the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
The updated publication draws its guidelines from the well-known NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF 2.0)
- The publication is titled Small Business Cybersecurity: Non-Employer Firms.
Small Business Cybersecurity: Non-Employer Firms (NIST Cybersecurity White Paper 50)
