Reference
Glossary
Plain-language definitions for the terms used throughout this site.
- Crypto-Agility
- The ability to swap out a cryptographic algorithm, key length, or protocol without redesigning the surrounding system, so a future algorithm break or standards update does not require a ground-up rebuild.
- Cryptographic Bill of Materials(CBOM)
- A structured inventory of every cryptographic asset in a system, including algorithms, key lengths, libraries, certificates, and protocols, analogous to a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) but focused on cryptography.
- Harvest Now, Decrypt Later
- A threat model where adversaries record encrypted data today with the intent to decrypt it once quantum computers capable of breaking current public-key cryptography become available.
- ML-KEM(FIPS 203)
- The lattice-based key-encapsulation algorithm NIST standardized in 2024 as the primary post-quantum replacement for RSA and elliptic-curve key exchange, derived from CRYSTALS-Kyber.
- Post-Quantum Cryptography(PQC)
- Cryptographic algorithms designed to remain secure against attacks from sufficiently powerful quantum computers, using mathematical problems believed to be hard even for quantum algorithms like Shor's algorithm.
- Software Bill of Materials(SBOM)
- A structured inventory of every software component in a system, including open-source and third-party libraries, used to track known vulnerabilities and supply-chain risk across the dependency tree.