# NSA and NIST Advance Security Guidance

A November 2026 Blank Rome briefing highlights growing cybersecurity, AI-risk, privacy, and data-handling requirements relevant to government contractors. The National Security Agency (NSA) urged immediate patching of critical PHP vulnerabilities, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a draft executive security handbook open for public comment. State-level rules and enforcement actions add to the compliance landscape for technology providers supporting government systems.

- Contractors supporting government systems should review PHP exposure and patch critical vulnerabilities, and assess supply-chain and AI risk controls, privacy-by-design practices, and incident-response processes.
- The draft NIST handbook provides a public-comment opportunity; organizations can review the draft and submit feedback while it remains open for comment. No comment deadline is specified in the signal.
- State privacy rules and enforcement activity may affect technology providers handling data. Companies serving government customers should assess how their data-handling practices intersect with those obligations.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** November 05, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Security Agency (NSA)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy)

### Vendors
- OpenAI ()
- Anthropic ()

### Key Quotes
> Companies cannot evade California’s consumer protection and privacy laws by filing for bankruptcy.
> — Rob Bonta, California Attorney General

### Sources
- [The BR Privacy, Security & AI Download: November 2026 - Blank Rome LLP](https://www.blankrome.com/news-and-events/the-br-privacy-security-ai-download-november-2026) - Blank Rome LLP