Citation Edit

National Institute of Standards and Technology Act, Ch. 872, 31 Stat. 1449 (Mar. 3, 1901), codified at 15 U.S.C. §271 et seq., as amended.

Overview Edit

The original Act gave the NIST responsibilities relating to technical standards. Later amendments added more generally relevant provisions and, more specifically,

• Identified relevant research topics, among them computer and telecommunication systems, including information security and control systems.^[1]
• Established a computer standards program at the NIST.^[2]

Possible Updates Edit

Despite NIST’s current authority to conduct research on computers and information security, some concerns have been raised about whether those activities should be enhanced in light of the evolving threat environment for cybersecurity.

References Edit

1. ↑ 15 U.S.C. §272, as amended by the Technology Competitiveness Act, Subtitle B of Title V of Pub. L. No. 100-418, the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, which also changed the name of the agency from the National Bureau of Standards to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and changed the name of the act to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act.
2. ↑ 15 U.S.C. §§278g-3 and -4, as added by the Computer Security Act of 1987. See also Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).

Source Edit

• Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Discussion of Proposed Revisions, at 13.