Main article: Type 1 encryption
A Type 1 Product refers to an NSA endorsed classified or controlled cryptographic item for classified or sensitive U.S. government information, including cryptographic equipment, assembly or component classified or certified by NSA for encrypting and decrypting classified and sensitive national security information when appropriately keyed.1
Main article: Type 2 encryption
A Type 2 Product refers to an NSA endorsed unclassified cryptographic equipment, assemblies or components for sensitive but unclassified U.S. government information.
Main article: Type 3 encryption
Unclassified cryptographic equipment, assembly, or component used, when appropriately keyed, for encrypting or decrypting unclassified sensitive U.S. Government or commercial information, and to protect systems requiring protection mechanisms consistent with standard commercial practices. A Type 3 Algorithm refers to NIST endorsed algorithms, registered and FIPS published, for sensitive but unclassified U.S. government and commercial information.
Main article: Type 4 encryption
A Type 4 Algorithm refers to algorithms that are registered by the NIST but are not FIPS published. Unevaluated commercial cryptographic equipment, assemblies, or components that are neither NSA nor NIST certified for any Government usage.
Main article: NSA Suite A Cryptography
A set of NSA unpublished algorithms that is intended for highly sensitive communication and critical authentication systems.
Main article: NSA Suite B Cryptography
A set of NSA endorsed cryptographic algorithms for use as an interoperable cryptographic base for both unclassified information and most classified information. Suite B was announced on 16 February 2005, and phased out in 2016.8
Main article: Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite
A set of cryptographic algorithms promulgated by the National Security Agency as a replacement for NSA Suite B Cryptography until post-quantum cryptography standards are promulgated.
See also: Post-quantum cryptography
In August 2015, NSA announced that it is planning to transition "in the not distant future" to a new cipher suite that is resistant to quantum attacks. "Unfortunately, the growth of elliptic curve use has bumped up against the fact of continued progress in the research on quantum computing, necessitating a re-evaluation of our cryptographic strategy." NSA advised: "For those partners and vendors that have not yet made the transition to Suite B algorithms, we recommend not making a significant expenditure to do so at this point but instead to prepare for the upcoming quantum resistant algorithm transition."9
"National Information Assurance Glossary"; CNSS Instruction No. 4009 National Information Assurance Glossary /wiki/National_Information_Assurance_Glossary ↩
ViaSat Programmable Scalable Information Assurance Model (PSIAM) http://www.viasat.com/government-communications/information-assurance/technologies ↩
Cook, John (2019-05-23). "NSA recommendations | algorithms to use until PQC". www.johndcook.com. Retrieved 2020-02-28. https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2019/05/23/nsa-recommendations/ ↩
"NSA preps quantum-resistant algorithms to head off crypto-apocalypse". Ars Technica. August 21, 2015. https://arstechnica.com/security/2015/08/nsa-preps-quantum-resistant-algorithms-to-head-off-crypto-apocolypse/ ↩