NIST Publishes Cryptographic Key Generation Guide. NIST offers guidance on generating cryptographic keys that are needed to protect sensitive data. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published new guidance. The guide will help organizations protect their data with secure keys no matter the type of algorithm they choose. The key is the cryptographic equivalent of a password and can be used to encrypt and decrypt data, but it must be kept secret to protect the data, the NIST says. For example, the same key is used in symmetric-key algorithms, which operate quickly and keep secrets.”]
Source: https://www.cuinfosecurity.com/nist-publishes-cryptographic-key-generation-guide-a-5352