Self-Employed? Solopreneur? NIST Has a Cybersecurity Guide Just for You

NIST has issued a plain-language cybersecurity guide for “solopreneurs,” businesses whose sole paid employee is the owner. More than 28 million U.S. small businesses fit this description, and their owners must handle digital security alongside every other part of running a business. The guide, Small Business Cybersecurity: Non-Employer Firms, assumes no prior cybersecurity knowledge and is intended to help busy owners choose practical steps to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. It updates an earlier small-business security publication, narrowing its focus to protecting digital systems from malicious activity and adapting recommendations from NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework 2.0.

The guide explains why cybersecurity matters to a business, introduces the framework’s core ideas, and presents actions a solo owner can take with limited technical expertise or expense. Each action includes its purpose, advice on getting started, and suggestions for expanding the practice as the business grows. Basic measures include backing up data, keeping software current, and replacing manufacturers’ default passwords on routers and other connected devices with strong, unique ones. Worksheets help owners inventory vulnerable assets and track completed steps, while hypothetical examples involving a lawyer, an artisan, and a consultant show how strategies might apply across different businesses. NIST emphasizes that the guide is a starting point, not a comprehensive solution for every owner’s needs, but argues that working through it can build a sound cybersecurity foundation.