Which of the following types of cryptography defined by FIPS 185 describes a cryptographic algorithm or a tool accepted by the National Security Agency for protecting sensitive, unclassified informati

Question

Options

• AType I cryptography
• BType II cryptography
• CType III (E) cryptography
• DType III cryptography

• A
  7% (3)
• B
  88% (37)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  2% (1)

Explanation

Type II cryptography is defined by FIPS 185 as an NSA-accepted cryptographic algorithm or tool specifically designed to protect sensitive but unclassified information, which aligns exactly with the systems referenced in Section 2315 of Title 10, U.S. Code (which governs NSA's authority over national security systems). Type I is incorrect because it applies to classified information, making it a higher-security tier than what the question describes. Type III cryptography refers to commercial or public-domain algorithms (like AES or RSA) that are not NSA-certified for government use, and Type III (E) is the export-approved variant of Type III - neither carries NSA acceptance for protecting government-designated sensitive information.

Memory tip: Think of the types as a ladder - Type I = classified (top secret), Type II = sensitive but unclassified (middle tier, NSA-accepted), Type III = commercial (public). The "II" in Type II sits between classified and fully public, just like sensitive-but-unclassified sits between those two worlds.

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