NIST releases a cybersecurity guide for people who work alone
On November 2, 2026, NIST published white paper CSWP 50, a plain-language guide for solopreneurs. It extracts practical actions from CSF 2.0, such as backups, software updates and changing default passwords.
By Wendelmaques Pereira · Updated today
Source: Self-Employed? Solopreneur? NIST Has a Cybersecurity Guide Just for You (nist.gov). Text prepared with AI from this source.
What happened and what to do
According to NIST, Small Business Cybersecurity: Non-Employer Firms (CSWP 50) targets anyone who is the sole paid employee of their business. It updates the older NISTIR 7621, narrows the focus to protecting digital systems and assumes the reader knows neither cybersecurity nor Cybersecurity Framework 2.0. For freelancers and one-person firms in Brazil, the U.S. text works as a starter checklist: NIST itself highlights regular data backups and keeping software updated as first steps.
Each action in the guide includes the rationale, how to get started and what to do as the business grows. One NIST example: change the default passwords on routers and other networked devices, because criminals can easily find those passwords. The document also includes worksheets to inventory at-risk assets and three fictional cases (a lawyer, an artisan and a consultant) to help build a plan. The PDF and appendices are free on the NIST site.
How the consultancy can help
Wendelmaques can turn CSWP 50 into a checklist applied to your environment: inventory of what is online, backups, software updates, changing default passwords and a minimal plan for when the business grows. The scope is defined with you.
Next step
If you work alone or run a one-person firm and want a jargon-free cybersecurity starting point, send a short description of what you use day to day and receive a scoped proposal.
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