NIST develops cybersecurity standards, guidelines, best practices, and other resources to meet the needs of U.S. industry, federal agencies and the broader public. Our activities range from producing specific information that organizations can put into practice immediately to longer-term research that anticipates advances in technologies and future challenges.
Some NIST cybersecurity assignments are defined by federal statutes, executive orders and policies. For example, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandates that all federal agencies implement NIST’s cybersecurity standards and guidance for non-national security systems. Our cybersecurity activities also are driven by the needs of U.S. industry and the broader public. We engage vigorously with stakeholders to set priorities and ensure that our resources address the key issues that they face.
NIST also advances understanding and improves the management of privacy risks, some of which relate directly to cybersecurity.
Priority areas to which NIST contributes – and plans to focus more on – include cryptography, education and workforce, emerging technologies, risk management, identity and access management, measurements, privacy, trustworthy networks and trustworthy platforms.
Additional details can be found in these brief and more detailed fact sheets.
The initial summary of responses to NIST's February 2022 Cybersecurity Request for Information is now available.
Two recent cybersecurity supply chain projects are featured here: Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity and National Initiative for Improving Cybersecurity in Supply Chains.
NIST has chosen the first group of encryption tools that are designed to withstand the assault of a future quantum computer, which could potentially crack the security used to protect privacy in the digital systems we rely on every day — such as online banking and email software. The four selected encryption algorithms will become part of NIST’s post-quantum cryptographic standard, expected to be finalized in about two years.
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest research, trends, and news for Cybersecurity.