When it comes to changing the cyber security landscape for the better, there are a number of people, companies, agencies and associations driving both the policy debate and the solution set. This year, however, one group stands out from the rest for its sustained capacity to bring about broad change, asserting its influence with a rare combination of intellectual capital, quiet leadership, meaningful public-private outreach, global liaison, inquisitiveness and modesty. That group is the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) staff at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Although NIST has no regulatory authority, the standards it develops often are voluntarily adopted or even mandated by others. A wide-range of centers within NIST have played a role in so many aspects of our lives that, from the time you wake up in the morning to the time you go to bed at night, it’s a safe bet you have NIST to thank for something big. Big, like improving the safety and effectiveness of any of the 10 million medical procedures that use radioactive materials. Big, like improving the accuracy of nutritional information on food labels, and developing the performance standards for smoke detectors, and ensuring – 30,000 times per second – that networked computers are synchronized.