Projects | CSRC

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics (On-demand self-service, Broad network access, Resource pooling, Rapid elasticity, Measured Service); three...

Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management C-SCRM

Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating the risks associated with the distributed and interconnected nature of Information Communications Technology and Operational Technology (ICT/OT) product and service supply chains throughout the entire life cycle of a system (including design, development, distribution, deployment, acquisition, maintenance, and destruction). Examples of risks include insertion of counterfeits, unauthorized...

Multi-Cloud Security Public Working Group MCSPWG

Cloud computing has become the core accelerator of the US Government's digital business transformation. NIST is establishing a Multi-Cloud Security Public Working Group (MCSPWG) to research best practices for securing complex cloud solutions involving multiple service providers and multiple clouds. The White House Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity highlights that “the Federal Government needs to make bold changes and significant investments in order to defend the vital...

NIST Cloud Computing Forensic Science NCCFS

NIST has defined cloud computing in NIST SP 800-145 document as a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. For more than a decade, cloud computing has offered cost savings both in terms of capital expenses and operational expenses, while leveraging...

Open Security Controls Assessment Language OSCAL

NIST, in collaboration with the industry, is developing the Open Security Controls Assessment Language (OSCAL), a set of hierarchical, formatted, XML- JSON- and YAML-based formats that provide a standardized representation for different categories of security information pertaining to the publication, implementation, and assessment of security controls. The OSCAL website provides an overview of the OSCAL project, including tutorials, concepts, references, downloads, and much more. OSCAL is...

Pairing-Based Cryptography

Recently, what are known as “pairings” on elliptic curves have been a very active area of research in cryptography. A pairing is a function that maps a pair of points on an elliptic curve into a finite field. Their unique properties have enabled many new cryptographic protocols that had not previously been feasible. In particular, identity-based encryption (IBE) is a pairing-based scheme that has received considerable attention. IBE uses some form of a person (or entity’s) identification to...

Policy Machine PM

One primary objective of enterprise computing (via a data center, cloud, etc.) is the controlled delivery of data services (DSs) to its users. Typical DSs include applications such as email, workflow management, enterprise calendar, and records management, as well as system level features, such as file, access control and identity management. Although access control (AC) currently plays an important role in securing DSs, if properly designed, AC can be more fundamental to computing than one...