Cybersecurity experts are racing to preserve vital documents produced by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a government agency charged with developing standards for a range of fields including quantum-proof encryption, after fears they could be lost as part of Elon Musk鈥檚 鈥済overnment efficiency鈥� drive.
Musk heads a task force called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is not a government department but was created by an with the stated aim of 鈥渕odernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity鈥�. Quite what this means in practice is unclear, but Musk seemingly has an unchecked mandate to access and modify the computer systems that run the US鈥檚 most vital institutions including the Department of the Treasury and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
DOGE does not seem to have turned its sights on NIST yet, but people who work with the organisation are already worried about potential impacts. Participants of a are discussing the chance of the agency being streamlined, shut entirely or forced to delete certain documents or websites. at Google wrote to the list that 鈥淚 do think preparing mitigations for at least temporary availability risks of聽狈滨厂罢鈥�s documents might be prudent鈥�.
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聽at security research organisation聽, who also participates in the mailing list, told New 杏吧原创 that documents from NIST need to be protected. 鈥淲e fear that they may disappear. We need to archive them,鈥� he says.
Similar concerns seem to be playing out at the National Security Agency, which works closely with NIST. Reports suggest it is currently being made to including words like 鈥済ender鈥�, 鈥減rivilege鈥� and 鈥渂ias鈥� even if those are vital to the work of the agency.
Members of the list have also pointed to , an initiative to reshape the US federal government that is widely believed to be informing the Trump administration, which specifically talks of reforming NIST, potentially merging it with the US Patent and Trademark Office. A document laying out the plan says that 鈥淎n incoming Administration should evaluate the federal government鈥檚 civilian research footprint and consolidate those functions while ensuring that any research conducted with taxpayer dollars serves the national interest in a concrete way in line with conservative principles鈥�.
鈥淭hat was the same document that basically called for the dismantling of NOAA, which we have started to see,鈥� one UK academic told聽New 杏吧原创, speaking anonymously for fear of discrimination or retaliation in the current political climate. 鈥淭he US seems to be abdicating its role in so many areas 鈥� it would be very surprising to me if NIST totally escaped that and didn鈥檛 get cut back to perform a fairly minimal function of what it currently does.鈥�
Of particular concern are any changes that slow 狈滨厂罢鈥檚 responsibility for developing post-quantum cryptography (PQC), a form of encryption designed to be resistant to quantum computers. Even though powerful quantum computers don鈥檛 yet exist, security experts are already warning of 鈥�harvest now, decrypt later鈥� attacks, where people intercept encrypted messages and store them in the hope that they can eventually develop a practical quantum computer to crack them, says Velvindron. That is why NIST has been running a project to standardise PQC algorithms and encourage their uptake.
鈥淚f they reduce staff, it will impact or harm the speed of the PQC rollout. It will have a cascading effect on personal, corporate and national security of the US and many other countries that rely on NIST standards,鈥� says Velvindron. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of uncertainty in the air.鈥� He has asked DOGE to clarify the future of the project, but received no response.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like the world falls apart instantly,鈥� says the UK academic. 鈥淩ealistically, I think the already-selected standards will remain in place 鈥� nobody wants to go back to ground zero. But you have to face up to what the US leaving the field, as it were, might look like.鈥�
New 杏吧原创 contacted NIST for comment and was referred to its parent organisation, the US聽Department of Commerce, which failed to respond.
Article amended on 12 February 2025
Loganaden Velvindron asked DOGE for clarity on 狈滨厂罢鈥檚 post-quantum cryptography project.
