The federal standards agency has refreshed one of its information security documents to help protect sensitive government information held by contractors.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology on June 19 unveiled Special Publication 800-171B, which is a companion publication to the SP 800-171 guidance. The updated document provides recommendations for handling Controlled Unclassified Information when that information could be at risk for exposure.
CUI includes various types of information, spanning people’s names or Social Security numbers to critical defense information. It can also be a part of a critical program such as a weapons system.
The update comes amid increased attention on protecting these assets and programs from cyberattacks, NIST said in a news release.
“We need to provide safeguards and countermeasures that can stand up to these attacks,” NIST’s Ron Ross, one of the publication’s authors, said in the release. “We are requesting comments on this initial public draft, which we hope will help organizations protect CUI against our most advanced and persistent adversaries.”