Cryptographic Algorithms and Key Sizes for Personal Identity Verification

SP 800-78-1 has been modified to enhance interoperability, simplify the development of relying party applications, and enhance alignment with the National Security Agency's Suite B Cryptography [SUITE B]. Revision 1 reduces the set of elliptic curves approved for use with PIV cards and the... See full abstract

SP 800-78-1 has been modified to enhance interoperability, simplify the development of relying party applications, and enhance alignment with the National Security Agency's Suite B Cryptography [SUITE B]. Revision 1 reduces the set of elliptic curves approved for use with PIV cards and the supporting infrastructure from six curves to two. Also, SHA-384 has been added for use with Curve P-384 in this revision. And finally, this revision eliminates the largest size of RSA keys (3072 bits) on PIV cards. These changes simplify applications that require maximum interoperability: the number of OIDs that must be recognized (e.g., in certificates) has been significantly reduced; and elliptic curve implementations of elliptic curve cryptography can be optimized for operations over two specific curves.
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