An Update on Cryptographic Standards, Guidelines, and Testing Requirements | NIST

For the past thirty years, cryptography has been an important technical tool for protecting the federal government’s information and information systems. Cryptographic methods have been used to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of information, to verify that information was not changed after it was sent, and to authenticate the originator of the information. During these years, NIST’s Information Technology Laboratory has worked actively with other government and industry organizations to develop standards and guidelines for the cost-effective uses of cryptography. As information technology has changed and as new federal requirements have been established to strengthen information technology security, NIST has updated older methods and developed new methods for the application of cryptography. This bulletin discusses current federal requirements and the techniques that are available to help federal agencies use cryptography to protect their information and information systems. Revised NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-21, Guideline for Implementing Cryptography in the Federal Government