Straight to the source.
The guides on this site are built from these primary sources. When you want the original, official version of something, this is where to go — no account, no cost.
Official guidance and reporting
CISA: Small & Medium Business Resources
ExternalFree tools, guides, and no-cost cybersecurity services organized specifically for smaller organizations.
Visit site →CISA Cyber Essentials Starter Kit
ExternalA free, plain-language starting point for building a basic cybersecurity culture and program.
Visit site →StopRansomware.gov
ExternalThe federal government's one-stop hub for ransomware guidance, alerts, and resources.
Visit site →FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
ExternalFile a report on ransomware, business email compromise, or other cyber-enabled crime.
Visit site →FTC: Cybersecurity for Small Business
ExternalPlain-English guides, quizzes, and the 'Start with Security' publication for small business owners.
Visit site →NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Corner
ExternalThe source guides behind the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 Small Business Quick-Start Guide.
Visit site →Texas Attorney General: Data Breach Reporting
ExternalWhere Texas businesses report qualifying data breaches, as required under state law.
Visit site →InfraGard
ExternalA free FBI public-private partnership for vetted businesses — threat briefings, alerts, and a peer network with local chapters including North Texas.
Visit site →SBA: Strengthen Your Cybersecurity
ExternalThe Small Business Administration's own guidance hub, pointing to the FCC's Small Biz Cyber Planner and other free federal tools in one place.
Visit site →Texas has its own free help, not just federal.
Texas Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Center (TSBCAC)
ExternalSBA-funded and free: up to 40 hours of virtual CISO guidance, cybersecurity training events, and a Cyber Shield completion certificate, run through a statewide SBDC partnership.
Visit site →Texas SBDC Network
ExternalFree one-on-one business consulting, with ten regional centers across Texas — a good general starting point even outside the TSBCAC program.
Visit site →Texas DIR: Cybersecurity Tips for Non-Profits & Small Businesses
ExternalA free, plain-language PDF from the state's own IT agency, aimed specifically at smaller organizations.
Visit site →Texas Cybersecurity Framework (DIR)
ExternalThe state's official framework and planning guidance, useful background even for private businesses benchmarking themselves against a recognized structure.
Visit site →Tools you can use today
No More Ransom Project
ExternalA free, law-enforcement-backed tool for finding decryption keys for known ransomware strains before considering any payment.
Visit site →KnowBe4 Free Phishing Security Test
ExternalSend a free simulated phishing test to your own team to establish a baseline.
Visit site →Have I Been Pwned
ExternalCheck whether your business email addresses have appeared in a known data breach.
Visit site →CISA Free Vulnerability Scanning
ExternalEnroll for ongoing, no-cost scanning of your internet-facing systems, with weekly reports ranking what to fix first — open to private businesses, not just government.
Visit site →Global Cyber Alliance Cybersecurity Toolkit
ExternalA free, self-service toolkit built specifically for small business, covering email security, safe browsing, and more — sponsored by Mastercard.
Visit site →CIS-CAT Lite
ExternalA free configuration-assessment tool from the Center for Internet Security that checks a system against the CIS Controls — the same framework Texas SB 2610 references for 20–99 employee businesses.
Visit site →Cyber Readiness Institute Program
ExternalA free, self-paced online course built specifically for small and medium-sized businesses, plus a free incident-response playbook and policy templates.
Visit site →If you're in a regulated line of business
FINRA Small Firm Cybersecurity Checklist
ExternalA free, downloadable self-assessment for broker-dealers and investment advisers, built around the same Identify/Protect/Detect/Respond/Recover functions used throughout this site.
Visit site →HHS Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool
ExternalA free desktop tool from HHS and ONC that walks HIPAA-covered practices and business associates through a documented security risk assessment.
Visit site →Reporting contacts
A quick note
These are independent, third-party resources. safemode IT doesn't control their content and isn't responsible for it — we just find them genuinely useful and want you to have them.
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