Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 2 hrs ago
NIST Issues Cybersecurity Guidance for Solo Business Owners
NIST has issued cybersecurity guidance for solo business owners in the United States, known as solopreneurs.
These businesses make up 81.9% of all U.S. businesses, according to NIST.
The guide recommends practical steps such as phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, a password manager, automatic updates and tested backups.
The steps aim to reduce cyber risks that can shut down a small business or give attackers a route into larger companies through suppliers.
Cybersecurity advisers say the guidance is clearer than many technical documents, but some terms and tasks may be difficult or costly for a one-person business.
NIST wants its framework to be easier to use by translating it into plain language for businesses without employees.
NIST has published cybersecurity guidance aimed at solo business owners, known as solopreneurs.
The guidance, Cybersecurity White Paper 50, offers recommendations to help curb cyber risks for non-employer firms.
It covers steps including phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, password managers, automatic updates and tested backups.
Martin Zugec of Bitdefender said the practical recommendations are accessible, while Bryson Byrd of Huntress said the guide remains too technical and demanding for many solo owners.
NIST says solopreneurs make up 81.9% of all U.S. businesses.
- Who
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued the guidance for solopreneurs.
- What
- It published Cybersecurity White Paper 50, a set of cybersecurity recommendations for solo business owners.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- The guidance is for non-employer firms in the United States.
- Why
- To help solo business owners curb cyber risks despite often lacking the time, money or staff to build a security program.
Martin Zugec
Bryson Byrd
Accessibility
Martin Zugec
Zugec said the guide uses plain language and its practical core is within reach for solopreneurs.
Bryson Byrd
Byrd said it still reads like it was written for practitioners and uses terms unfamiliar to many business owners.
Implementation burden
Martin Zugec
Zugec said the core steps can be done in an afternoon without a security background.
Bryson Byrd
Byrd said the guide assumes technical knowledge and asks too much of a single person, taking time away from running the business.
NIST published Cybersecurity White Paper 50 for solopreneurs; the publication date is not stated.
Martin Zugec and Bryson Byrd commented on the guide’s accessibility and practical demands.
- Guidance
- Cybersecurity White Paper 50 (CSWP)
- Target audience
- Solopreneurs and non-employer firms
- Share of U.S. businesses
- 81.9%
- Core steps
- Phishing-resistant MFA, a password manager, a standard non-admin account, automatic updates and tested backups
- Guide length
- 33 pages
What people are saying
None of that needs a security background, and you can do it in an afternoon.
For too long, solopreneurs have been an afterthought in cybersecurity guidance.
Asking a single person to do all of this is extraordinarily cumbersome and, quite frankly, unrealistic.