Government agencies (and their vendors and partners) are increasingly entrusted with sensitive data. Accordingly, protecting critical infrastructure and cybersecurity are both top priorities. The tools they use must come from time-tested and verified protocols to ensure they are secure and not tampered with. In turn, this means that these tools must come from labs that follow the strictest of requirements. 

NVLAP Common Criteria certification serves as a valuable tool for governments to evaluate the security capabilities of IT products and systems before procurement.

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Most security standards, including government standards, require cryptography. We are generally familiar with implementing a cryptographic algorithm that meets these requirements and calling it a day. However, to ensure security, NIST also publishes standards for validating encryption modules to ensure they serve their purpose under federal standards. 

Here, we’re discussing the Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program and its relationship to closely related standards and programs, such as Federal Information Processing Standards and the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program. 

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We’ve often focused on security and maintenance from the perspective of technology itself–specifically, how it is deployed and used by individuals in the real world. But, the truth is that assessments of security technologies don’t start when an enterprise deploys them. Rather, in cases of tech like cryptography modules and biometrics, it begins in the lab that creates them. And that’s where the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program comes in. 

This article discusses NVLAP and its vital function in enhancing the credibility of laboratories involved in testing and calibration. This includes using third-party assessment and rigorous standards to govern how labs protect and assure the products they produce.

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