This activity involves the developing and testing cryptographic algorithms and interfaces for use in protecting office and electronic commerce applications and data. Advanced Authentication Technology Reusable passwords remain the primary means of user authentication in the Internet, despite the fact that it has been demonstrated that their use is completely unsuitable for the global, open Internet where such passwords are passed in the clear and can be picked up and reused almost at will. NIST has led in the development of technology and standards to provide effective authentication alternatives to passwords, and is working to promote the use of such methods throughout the Internet and other network environments. Comprehensive certificate management mechanisms and underlying support infrastructure are required for all of this to work. The viability and success of the NGI will depend on the existence of new, more secure protocols.
Current protocols have limited and demonstrably weak security mechanisms.
NIST is participating with the Internet community to develop new protocols that will include advanced methods to authenticate communications, nodes, and users, as well as provide other security services such as confidentiality protection, extended audit trails, and threat monitoring. Security Criteria, Test Methods, and Testing Unlike other types of standards and open specifications, security standards have an implicit requirement for special testing.