Free Government Cybersecurity Resources for Small Businesses

Short answer: CISA, NIST, the FTC and the SBA all publish free cybersecurity guidance for small businesses. Start with the FTC's basics page and CISA's small business resources, use NIST's Small Business Cybersecurity Corner when you want a framework, and know where to report an attack before you need to.

Every link below goes to an official U.S. government page. Hawkcrest Cyber isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of these agencies. We just think you should know this help exists.

Start here: the basics

• FTC: Cybersecurity for Small Business. Plain-language basics: updates and backups, strong passwords and MFA, Wi-Fi security, email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), vendor security, cyber insurance, and common attacks like phishing and ransomware.
• CISA: Small and Medium-Sized Business Resources. Printable fact sheets (phishing, passwords, MFA, software updates, then logging, backups and encryption), short online training, and links you can hand to your IT team.
• CISA: Cyber Guidance for Small Businesses. An action plan broken down by role: the CEO, a security program manager, and the IT team, including how to build an incident response plan.
• SBA: Strengthen your cybersecurity. The SBA's overview of why cybersecurity matters for small businesses, common threats, and links to more help.

When you want a framework

• NIST: Small Business Cybersecurity Corner. NIST's hub for small business guidance, events and webinars.
• NIST: Guidance by Topic. Topic-specific resources, including phishing and ransomware pages.
• NIST: Cybersecurity Framework for small businesses and Quick Start Guides. The FTC describes the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 as free, voluntary and flexible, organized around six functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover.
• NIST: Small Business Cybersecurity Support Programs Finder. A tool to find nonprofit-hosted programs in your region that help small businesses manage cybersecurity risk.

Free services and tools

• CISA: No-Cost Cybersecurity Services and Tools. CISA's own no-cost services plus a curated list of free tools from public and private organizations.
• CISA: Cyber Hygiene Services. No-cost vulnerability scanning and web application scanning of internet-facing systems. CISA says these are open to U.S. governments and to public and private critical infrastructure organizations, so check the eligibility section before you apply.
• CISA: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. CISA's list of flaws with evidence of active exploitation. If something you run is on it, patch it first.

If something goes wrong: where to report

• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The FTC lists IC3 as a place to report email spoofing and similar scams.
• FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Report scams, including business email imposters and tech support scams.
• CISA: Report a cyber incident. CISA's incident reporting form.

For the first steps after an attack, our incident response plan builder and stolen laptop guide can help you get organized.

Sources

All pages above were opened and checked on October 26, 2026. Government pages change. If a link has moved, search the agency's site for the page title.