Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI): NIST Special Publication 800-171, Revision 3 Small Business Primer

Published

August 13, 2025

Author(s)

Daniel Eliot

Abstract

This introductory guide provides small businesses with a high level overview of NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-171 Revision 3, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations. The document is broken up into two separate sections. The first few pages provide a general overview tailored to business leaders or those new to SP 800-171 R3 The second section is written for those who are tasked with implementing the security requirements in SP 800-171 R3 (whether doing it themselves or engaging a vendor), or those who want to gain an introductory understanding of each of the control families. This primer is not all-encompassing and serves as a bridge to the larger SP 800-171 R3 publication. The guide includes an overview of SP 800-171 R3, frequently asked questions, tips for getting started, related resources, definitions and examples, and more.

Citation

Special Publication (NIST SP) - 1318

Report Number

1318

NIST Pub Series

Special Publication (NIST SP)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.1318

Local Download

Keywords

CUI, small business, confidentiality.

Citation

Eliot, D. (2025), Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI): NIST Special Publication 800-171, Revision 3 Small Business Primer, Special Publication (NIST SP), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.1318, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=960119 (Accessed November 23, 2025)