Questions tagged [nist]

Abreviation for National Institute of Standards and Technology. A USA government institution which publishes standards, most notably the FIPS 140-2 standard for cryptographic modules.

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Different results for CPE search on NVD

I usually stick to finding the right CPE candidate for product-version I am interested in by using the Search Vulnerability Database with Search Type selected as Advanced and then narrowing down from ...
1 vote
2 answers
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any security baseline reference we can use? paid or free

We are looking to provide our Devs and Ops with minimal security baseline requirements - reference materials that they should follow during coding/implementation/etc. Maybe requirements based on NIST ...
16 votes
4 answers
4k views

Should one reject login attempts when the correct password is newly added to a password deny list?

Best practices say that when users choose a password (at signup or when changing an existing password), the application should reject that password if it appears on a list of passwords known to be ...
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Do comparable standards like FIPS exist for Germany or the European Union? [duplicate]

NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, does publish FIPS, the Federal Information Processing Standards Publications. Does Germany or the European Union have their own standards? Or ...
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Why is there an ASN1 OID and a NIST CURVE reference for the same curve?

$ openssl ecparam -in param-ec.pem -text -noout ASN1 OID: secp384r1 NIST CURVE: P-384 The file param-ec.pem indicates the curve is P-384, also known as secp384r1. In the same way: secp521r1 = P-521 ...
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Should vendors add their CPEs in the log4j NIST entry?

Software that has packaged a vulnerable version of the log4j library is considered vulnerable to CVE-2021-44228 or "log4shell". When I look at the NIST definition I can see that the ...
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Verifying that a TLS server supports the PSK-Modes Extension?

I am trying to verify if a TLS Server is configured according to the guidelines specified in NIST SP 800-52. One rule stated is the following: TLS servers that support TLS 1.3 and the Pre-Shared Key ...
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2 answers
183 views

What are the differences between "identifying threats and vulnerabilities" and "risk management"?

I am struggling to appreciate the differences between the 7 steps of the NIST Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure, which should help an organisation implement it. Step 1: Prioritize and ...
3 votes
2 answers
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Incident Response and when to consider an incident resolved

I am currently making amendments to an IR process and the topic of incident closure has come up. The organisation follows NIST and therefore their IR process has four phases: Preparation Detection &...
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What is the NIST/FIPS publication process? How long does it usually take for drafts to become final?

I'm specifically concerned with EdDSA being made FIPS compliant, which I realize might take longer with the concerns raised with ECDSA, but I'm curious what the process actually is. Is it all internal ...
25 votes
6 answers
7k views

Password entry: are "paste from password manager" and "eyeball to view passwords" mutually-exclusive features?

Context NIST SP 800-63b gives the following guidance for password forms (aka login pages): Verifiers SHOULD permit claimants to use “paste” functionality when entering a memorized secret. This ...
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1 answer
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Is there a documented security standard that forbids or discourages rolling your own crypto?

Is there any security standard published by NIST or another reputed body in information security that explicitly forbids or discourages rolling your own crypto? If yes, would you please post the ...
2 votes
1 answer
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How to tell if Microsoft office has been patched for a vulnerability?

The NIST database holds records for Microsoft Office vulnerabilities, however it only lists the application (i.e. Word 2016) and the service pack. Microsoft release hotfixes outside of service packs, ...
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"Something you have" on a multi-user device - what is the opinion regarding the NIST AAL3 definition?

The NIST AAL3 specification requires In order to authenticate at AAL3, claimants SHALL prove possession and control of two distinct authentication factors through secure authentication ...
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NICE Framework - is there a link between Tasks and KSAs?

In the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework document there are 1,007 Tasks and 1,180 KSAs - is there any explanation of the direct links between the Tasks and KSAs? (or any database) In the ...
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Distinction among the criteria "implemented correctly", "operating as intended", and "producing the desired outcome"

Throughout the RMF documents, one finds the phrase, a) "implemented correctly, b) operating as intended, and c) producing the desired outcome" with respect to meeting security requirements or control ...
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1 answer
242 views

Email under GDPR [closed]

I am aware that email is considered as PII and should be used and stored under strict security guidelines as per GDPR. If we use email in any our communications and in what cases it might not be ...
5 votes
1 answer
4k views

API to Get CVE Info [closed]

I'm working on a project that uses an API which gives back CVE IDs. We need to programmatically fetch details about those CVEs. The main thing we need is the CVSS v2 base vector (e.g. AV:A/AC:H/Au:M/C:...
1 vote
1 answer
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How comprehensive is CPE?

How authoritative and comprehensive is NIST's CPE, as a list of applications, hardware and operating systems? It's clearly a vast labour for which I am grateful, but I need to know how good it is. ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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nvd json database without vendor and product info

I'm trying to parse nvd databases from nvd vulnerabilities feeds https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/data-feeds#JSON_FEED I see many entries, where vendor product information is not filled in (cve->affects->...
8 votes
2 answers
4k views

What is the recommended expiration for a password reset link?

What is the recommended expiration for a password reset link generated for a user? Citations/ links to NIST guidelines and documentation are very much appreciated.
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6 votes
3 answers
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Security Testing Methods for Enterprise Level

I have been asked to perform risk assessment for a company. The scope covers about 100 applications and in various business units. Major task is to assess currently implemented security controls and ...
2 votes
3 answers
457 views

What are some best practices for WiFi security, in light of recently discovered vulnerabilities?

In the past few months, we've seen the revelation of several WiFi vulnerabilities (eg KRACK). It doesn't look like NIST has updated any of its best practices. How should we configure our enterprise ...
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Periods in Common Platform Enumeration WFN (NIST Interagency Report 7695 )

I’m looking at NIST Interagency Report 7695 and the grammar described in 5.3.2 seems to say that all . need to be preceded by a \, but this doesn’t seem to be followed in the CPE dictionary. Am I ...
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1 answer
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The NIST randomness tests for a generated key

Does different tests for key randomness provided by NIST are available online? where one can test that which test for key generated are passed and which are failed?
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2 answers
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Are there currently any standards for Homomorphic encryption?

I am curious if there are any released standards for homomorphic encryption, or computing on encrypted data. Perhaps by NIST, ANSI, or ISO. If not, are there any that are under development right now? ...
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Is there a security standard/framework which interpret the CISO role as independent position

It is more or less an open secret that the CISO should act independently in the company. In my opinion, a supposed reporting line to the CIO is a conflict of interest (budget vs. security). The CISO ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Why would Bill Burr of NIST say N3v$r M1^d?

Wall Street Journal wrote that Bill regrets his password recommendations NIST SP 800-63 Appendix A. Apprendix A is titled "Estimating Password Entropy and Strength". It is about how we might assess ...
6 votes
2 answers
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What is the format of an X9.62 key?

RFC8292 contains this gem: The "k" parameter includes an ECDSA public key [FIPS186] in uncompressed form [X9.62] that is encoded using base64url encoding [RFC7515]. There is an example of ...
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SQL RLS for NIST compliance

Is there specific NIST documentation advising about implementing MS SQL Row-Level security for 800-53 compliance?
2 votes
1 answer
315 views

Suggestions on satisfying security controls described in NIST SP 800-53?

I recently started working on a project where my role is partially that of a cybersecurity engineer. Reading through the NIST SP 800-53, I understand the necessity of the security controls assigned, ...
2 votes
1 answer
961 views

NIST 800-53 rev 4 - CM-7(2) implementation on Linux

NIST 800-53 rev 4 CM-7(2) states: (2) LEAST FUNCTIONALITY | PREVENT PROGRAM EXECUTION The information system employs automated mechanisms to prevent program execution in accordance with [Selection (...
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1 answer
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What are vendor affirmed algorithms in FIPS 140-2

FIPS 140-2 allows FIPS approved algorithms to be either tested by CAVP or to be vendor affirmed. What does "vendor affirmed" imply here? Can I say my AES implementation as vendor affirmed and get it ...
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How are local admin accounts handled in a DFARS compliant environment?

In most IT departments that I've been apart of we've had local administrator accounts that we can use when the given machine, for some reason, doesn't have network access, or domain access. One of ...
3 votes
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What options exist for logging off users after x time of inactivity? [closed]

I'm looking at NIST SC-10, and I thought something simple would exist in Group Policy that would control this, but I haven't been able to find anything built in. Things I've thought about trying: ...
2 votes
2 answers
189 views

Conflicting requirements in FIPS 140-2 regarding manual key entry

Requirement 1 All output data exiting the cryptographic module via the "data output" interface shall only pass through the output data path. The output data path shall be logically disconnected ...
5 votes
1 answer
461 views

​Multi-factor Out of Band Token authentication options suitable as per NIST recommendations 800-63B (published in June, 2017)

In our web application project we are required to establish MF authentication with combination of memorised secret token (password) and Out of Bound token. Earlier we were planning to implement SMS ...
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Are protocol implementations also tested as part of FIPS certification?

I just went to CMVP website and opened a random FIPS certificate. https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/Cryptographic-Module-Validation-Program/Certificate/2898 In the FIPS certificate, FIPS algorithms ...
1 vote
0 answers
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What are the similarities and differences between CISSP CBK, ISO/IEC, and the NIST NICE Framework? [closed]

There are a ton of different information security/cyber security frameworks but I was wondering if someone can give a quick rundown of some major similarities and differences. It'll really help me ...
5 votes
1 answer
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Practical applications of NIST new password policy

I have previously asked about the application of the NIST Special Publication 800-63-3 (password policy). Password Policy Without a simple way to add a password blacklist to AD, what are the common ...
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4 votes
4 answers
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Can you establish a weak/common password policy in Active Directory in line with NIST guidelines?

Does anyone know if it is possible within Active Directory to add a table of 'weak passwords' that will be banned? Looking to align password policies with the new NIST recommendations: https://pages....
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10 votes
2 answers
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Password expiration and compliance (ISO, NIST, PCI, etc)

I'm quite confused about what is the current state in 2017 for the idea of password expiration/rotation especially related to security certifications as ISO, PCI, etc. I keep reading that password ...
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3 votes
3 answers
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I need assistance in properly understanding the IA-7 control in NIST SP 800-53

I've recently been working on a number of A&A tasks for the RMF for a US Government entity, and I'm having a hard time properly understanding the IA-7 control of NIST SP 800-53 and the supplement ...
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1 answer
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Public vulnerability feed with CVSS v3

NIST NVD publishes XML feeds of CVEs but, as far as I'm concerned, only with CVSS v2 vectors. CVSS v3 results are available on web portal. Is there available any up to date, processing friendly, raw ...
3 votes
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NIST Framework Cyber Security Maturity Assessment [closed]

How can I assess customer cyber security posture based on NIST framework and provide scoring? What is the easiest approach, milestones, steps to do it - I know that I need to ask questions and then ...
1 vote
0 answers
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Firewall rulebase analysis offline/vendor agnostic a thing for FISMA/NIST

During design-time before a build-out, I currently create an excel file version of a firewall rulebase (policy) representing source/target/port/protocol/etc definitions before being pushed to the ...
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1 vote
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Multiple Frameworks for Risk Assessments?

My organization utilizes Risk Assessments as the catalyst for a lot of our Information Security efforts. Currently we assess applications using the cloud security alliance's CAIQ framework and ...
2 votes
1 answer
513 views

Why Microsoft claims that SQL Server is the least vulnerable database? [closed]

Microsoft claims in their official site that “SQL Server is the least vulnerable database for six years running in the NIST vulnerabilities database”, I reviewed the NIST web site, but I can’t find a ...
3 votes
1 answer
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In-Memory Database Storage and Security (MemSQL, Spark, Redis, Geode, et al)

There is a growing trend to utilize more In-Memory Storage for a wide variety of use cases from big data analytics (Spark) to faster processing power (MemSQL) to caching (Redis) most frequently ...
1 vote
1 answer
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NIST SP 800-90A DRBG, incorrect reult following algorithm, correct result rearranging algorithm steps?

I've been starring at this issue for about three days now, and think I need a second set of eyes on the problem. I'm implementing NIST's HASH_DRBG from SP 800-90A Rev. 1, June 2015 (its the latest doc ...
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