Overview  

NIST has published Special Publication (SP) 1352, Assessing Security Requirements for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI): NIST SP 800-171Ar3 (Revision 3) Small Business Primer. This guide provides small business owners and operators with a high-level overview of SP 800-171Ar3, Assessing Security Requirements for Controlled Unclassified Information. The goal of the primer is to help the small business community understand foundational SP 800-171 assessment concepts and basic strategies for planning for an assessment.   

Who is this Guide For?  

This primer is for business leaders or employees who are tasked with managing the implementation of SP 800-171r3, including conducting self-assessments or preparing to work with external assessors.

Join us on October 29!

NIST will be hosting a webinar on October 29, 2026, from 2:00-3:00pm ET to provide an overview of SP 1352. Learn more and register. 

A Growing Portfolio of Small Business Resources 

This new publication is part of an expanding portfolio of “Protecting CUI” resources designed for the small business community. Other resources include: 

• NIST released a small business primer to supplement SP 800-171r3 to help smaller, under-resourced organizations better protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). This resource provides a foundational overview of SP 800-171r3, considerations for organizations as they begin implementing the security requirements, a list of frequently asked questions and their answers, key differences between SP 800-171 Revision 2 and Revision 3, tips to help those tasked with implementing SP 800-171 get started, additional resources that small businesses can put into action, and concepts and language that can be used when seeking support from internal or external cybersecurity teams.  

• NIST facilitated a webinar in January 2026—Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information: Overview of the NIST Special Publication 800-171r3 Small Business Primer. View the webinar recording and Q&A summary here.   

• If there are additional resources you would like to see developed, send ideas or suggestions to: smallbizsecurity@nist.gov.