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https://www.nist.gov/itl/executive-order-improving-nations-cybersecurity/recommended-minimum-standards-vendor-or-0

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Information Technology Laboratory

## Executive Order 14028,  Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity

-  Software Supply Chain Security Guidance  Expand or Collapse    -  Software Security in Supply Chains  Expand or Collapse      -  Guidance, Purpose, Scope, and Audience 
    -  EO-Critical Software and Security Measures for EO-Critical Software 
    -  Software Cybersecurity for Producers and Users  Expand or Collapse        -  Attesting to Conformity with Secure Software Development Practices 
    -  Software Verification 
    -  Evolving Standards, Tools, and Recommended Practices  Expand or Collapse        -  Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) 
      -  Enhanced Vendor Risk Assessments 
      -  Open Source Software Controls 
      -  Vulnerability Management 
    -  Additional Existing Industry Standards, Tools, and Recommended Practices 
    -  FAQs 
  -  Software Cybersecurity for Producers and Purchasers 
  -  Critical Software  Expand or Collapse      -  Critical Software Definition  Expand or Collapse        -  Introduction 
      -  Background & Approach 
      -  Definition & Explanatory Material 
      -  FAQs 
    -  Security Measures for Critical Software Use  Expand or Collapse        -  Introduction 
      -  Purpose & Scope 
      -  Security Measures for EO-Critical Software Use 
      -  FAQs 
  -  Software Verification  Expand or Collapse      -  Introduction 
    -  Background & Approach 
    -  Recommended Minimum Standard for Vendor or Developer Verification of Code 
    -  FAQs 
-  Cybersecurity Labeling for Consumers  Expand or Collapse    -  Consumer Cybersecurity Labeling Pilots: The Approach and Contributions 
  -  Workshops on Cybersecurity Labeling of Consumer Products 
  -  IoT Product Criteria 
  -  Consumer Software Criteria 
  -  News & Updates 
  -  Engage 
  -  Resources 
  -  FAQs 
-  Workshops & Call for Papers 
-  News & Updates 
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-  Cybersecurity @ NIST 

# Recommended Minimum Standards for Vendor or Developer Verification (Testing) of Software Under Executive Order (EO) 14028  - Background & Approach

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To ensure that software is sufficiently safe and secure, the software must be designed, built, delivered, and maintained in accordance with best practices. Frequent and thorough testing by developers as early as possible in the software development life cycle (SDLC) is one critical practice. At its highest conceptual level, verification is a discipline employed to increase software security. *Verification* encompasses many static and active assurance techniques, tools, and related processes to identify and remediate security defects while continuously improving the methodology and supporting processes. They must be employed alongside other methods to achieve a high level of software security.

This webpage summarizes minimum standards recommended for verification by software vendors or developers. No single verification standard can encompass all types of software testing, be specific and prescriptive, and present efficient and effective testing. Thus, this document recommends high-level guidelines for software producers to create their own prescriptive processes.

These guidelines expand on NIST’s Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) practices.  See especially Produce Well-Secured Software (PW) Practice 7, Review and/or Analyze Human-Readable Code to Identify Vulnerabilities and Verify Compliance with Security Requirements, and PW Practice 8, Test Executable Code to Identify Vulnerabilities and Verify Compliance with Security Requirements. 

**Previous Sections:**
                  - Introduction

**Next Sections:**
                  - Recommended Minimum Standard for Vendor or Developer Verification of Code
                  - FAQs

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