The National Institute of Standards and Technology has launched a new initiative that aims to develop ‘lightweight’ cryptographic algorithm standards in an effort to safeguard data in radio frequency identification tags and other small internet-connected devices.
NIST said Thursday it issued a draft document that outlines the submission requirements and assessment criteria to facilitate the standardization of such cryptographic algorithms.
The draft document lists the authenticated encryption with associated data and hash functionalities as minimum acceptability requirements for submitted algorithms.
NIST noted that AEAD works to help the recipient validate the integrity of unencrypted and encrypted data and that the use of hash functionality should facilitate sharing of resources with AEAD to help reduce implementation costs.
NIST intends to release a notice on Federal Register to seek public comments on the draft publication for 45 days.
The agency anticipates a six-month period for the submission of lightweight cryptographic algorithms.