# NIST Identifies Multi-Cloud Security Risks

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has identified 23 new cybersecurity risks specific to multi-cloud environments, focusing on critical areas such as identity and access management, vulnerability management, incident response, disaster recovery, and data protection. NIST emphasizes the need for enhanced collaboration across the cybersecurity community to develop governance frameworks, centralized visibility tools, consistent policy enforcement mechanisms, and automation solutions to address these risks effectively.

- **Why this matters:** Federal agencies and contractors managing multi-cloud infrastructures must consider these emerging risks in their cybersecurity strategies and procurement requirements.
- Organizations involved in cloud services procurement should evaluate vendors' capabilities in governance, automation, and policy enforcement aligned with NIST's findings.
- This development signals potential updates to cybersecurity standards and procurement criteria, impacting contract specifications and compliance obligations.
- Cybersecurity solution providers can leverage this guidance to tailor offerings that mitigate identified risks and support federal multi-cloud deployments.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity
**Published:** September 21, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

### Sources
- [NIST identifies 23 new security risks in multi-cloud environments | news | MSSP Alert](https://www.msspalert.com/news/nist-warns-of-unique-cybersecurity-challenges-in-multi-cloud-environments) - MSSP Alert