# NIST Publishes Open RAN Security Guidance

NIST published two reports addressing security in Open RAN environments: NIST IR 8625 covers RAN Intelligent Controller security, and draft NIST IR 8623 aligns federal Open RAN guidance with the Cybersecurity Framework 2.0. The draft is open for consultation through November 2, 2026, giving federal telecom and network modernization contractors 24 days from October 9 to review the guidance and submit comments. The reports provide security guidance, not a stated new mandatory procurement requirement.

- Contractors working on federal telecom or network modernization programs can review draft IR 8623 and submit feedback by November 2, 2026.
- The guidance highlights security areas relevant to proposals and system designs, including authentication, access controls, zero-trust practices, interfaces, software updates, and application permissions.
- NIST IR 8625 gives contractors working with RAN Intelligent Controllers a focused reference for addressing security risks in those systems.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 09, 2026

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

### Sources
- [NIST publishes security guidelines for open 5G networks - Brandsit - Portal technologiczno - biznesowy](https://brandsit.pl/en/nist-publishes-security-guidelines-for-open-5g-networks) - Brandsit