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RESOURCE DIRECTORY

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.

GOVERNMENT & LAW ENFORCEMENT

Official guidance and reporting

CISA: Small & Medium Business Resources

External

Free tools, guides, and no-cost cybersecurity services organized specifically for smaller organizations.

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CISA Cyber Essentials Starter Kit

External

A free, plain-language starting point for building a basic cybersecurity culture and program.

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StopRansomware.gov

External

The federal government's one-stop hub for ransomware guidance, alerts, and resources.

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FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

External

File a report on ransomware, business email compromise, or other cyber-enabled crime.

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FTC: Cybersecurity for Small Business

External

Plain-English guides, quizzes, and the 'Start with Security' publication for small business owners.

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NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Corner

External

The source guides behind the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 Small Business Quick-Start Guide.

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Texas Attorney General: Data Breach Reporting

External

Where Texas businesses report qualifying data breaches, as required under state law.

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InfraGard

External

A free FBI public-private partnership for vetted businesses — threat briefings, alerts, and a peer network with local chapters including North Texas.

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SBA: Strengthen Your Cybersecurity

External

The Small Business Administration's own guidance hub, pointing to the FCC's Small Biz Cyber Planner and other free federal tools in one place.

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TEXAS-SPECIFIC FREE PROGRAMS

Texas has its own free help, not just federal.

Texas Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Center (TSBCAC)

External

SBA-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.

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Texas SBDC Network

External

Free one-on-one business consulting, with ten regional centers across Texas — a good general starting point even outside the TSBCAC program.

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Texas DIR: Cybersecurity Tips for Non-Profits & Small Businesses

External

A free, plain-language PDF from the state's own IT agency, aimed specifically at smaller organizations.

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Texas Cybersecurity Framework (DIR)

External

The state's official framework and planning guidance, useful background even for private businesses benchmarking themselves against a recognized structure.

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FREE TOOLS

Tools you can use today

No More Ransom Project

External

A free, law-enforcement-backed tool for finding decryption keys for known ransomware strains before considering any payment.

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KnowBe4 Free Phishing Security Test

External

Send a free simulated phishing test to your own team to establish a baseline.

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Have I Been Pwned

External

Check whether your business email addresses have appeared in a known data breach.

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CISA Free Vulnerability Scanning

External

Enroll 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.

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Global Cyber Alliance Cybersecurity Toolkit

External

A free, self-service toolkit built specifically for small business, covering email security, safe browsing, and more — sponsored by Mastercard.

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CIS-CAT Lite

External

A 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.

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Cyber Readiness Institute Program

External

A free, self-paced online course built specifically for small and medium-sized businesses, plus a free incident-response playbook and policy templates.

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REGULATED INDUSTRIES

If you're in a regulated line of business

FINRA Small Firm Cybersecurity Checklist

External

A free, downloadable self-assessment for broker-dealers and investment advisers, built around the same Identify/Protect/Detect/Respond/Recover functions used throughout this site.

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HHS Security Risk Assessment (SRA) Tool

External

A free desktop tool from HHS and ONC that walks HIPAA-covered practices and business associates through a documented security risk assessment.

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REPORT SOMETHING

Reporting contacts

Phishing emails: reportphishing@apwg.org (Anti-Phishing Working Group)
Fraud, scams: reportfraud.ftc.gov (FTC)
Cybercrime, ransomware, BEC: ic3.gov (FBI)
Texas data breaches (250+ residents): Texas Attorney General's office

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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