NIST Releases 2021 Cybersecurity and Privacy Program Annual Report

NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-220, 2021 Cybersecurity and Privacy Program Annual Report, was recently published—which details the NIST Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) Cybersecurity and Privacy Program’s responses to numerous challenges and opportunities in cybersecurity and privacy. Most of the work was conducted by ITL—in close collaboration with the private and public sectors—along with a bit of helpful support from our colleagues across NIST in other labs.

Released during NIST’s yearlong celebration of a major milestone—50 years of cybersecurity at NIST—this report is organized into eight key priority areas: cryptographic standards and validation, cybersecurity measurement, education and workforce, identity and access management, privacy engineering, risk management, trustworthy networks, and trustworthy platforms. NIST conducted research and demonstrated practical applications in several key priority areas, including post quantum cryptography (PQC), cybersecurity in supply chains—which was included in an Executive Order from the President in 2021—zero trust, and control systems cybersecurity. We also initiated research in some new areas, including exploring the cybersecurity of genomics data.

All of this work contributes to our charge of cultivating trust in information, systems, and technologies—and this report highlights our Fiscal Year 2021 research agenda and program activities.