NIST to Provide Cyber-Security Advice to SMBs Under New Federal Law

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a new federal law that requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology to help small and medium businesses meet cyber-Security goals. President Donald Trump has signed the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act into law requiring the National Institute of Standards and Technology to provide cyber-security resources to small and medium businesses. In this case, “resources” means guidelines, tools, best practices, standards, methodologies and other information designed to help SMBs. The law also requires the director of NIST to address small business concerns when putting together guidance and security requirements. The law, which passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate before being signed by the president, is notable in that it delineates how information is to be made available to businesses and specifies what sort of information must be provided.