These documents are intended to provide guidance to the Federal Government for using cryptography and NIST’s cryptographic standards to protect sensitive, but unclassified digitized information during transmission and while in storage.
 
Special Publication (SP) 800-175A, Guideline for Using Cryptographic Standards in the Federal Government: Directives, Mandates and Policies provides guidance on the determination of requirements for using cryptography. It includes a summary of laws and regulations concerning the protection of the Federal Government’s sensitive information, guidance regarding the conduct of risk assessments to determine what needs to be protected and how best to protect that information, and a discussion of the relevant security-related documents (e.g., various policy and practice documents).
 
Special Publication (SP) 800-175B, Guideline for Using Cryptographic Standards in the Federal Government: Cryptographic Mechanisms discusses the cryptographic methods and services available for the protection of the Federal Government’s sensitive information and provides an overview of NIST’s cryptographic standards (Review Comments Received on Final Draft SP 800-175B).