Securing emerging technologies

Emerging technologies present tremendous opportunity for innovation and advancement of business goals. They also can introduce novel cybersecurity and privacy considerations and create unintended or unexpected impacts on individuals and organizations if strategies and mitigations do not adapt. Understanding how emerging technologies will affect cybersecurity and privacy can empower organizations to effectively manage risk in unique contexts. To help organizations adopting emerging technologies, NIST has teamed with a broad range of experts and community members. Examples include: 

Cybersecurity for Internet of Things 

NIST’s Cybersecurity for the Internet of Things (IoT) program supports the development and application of standards, guidelines, and related tools to improve the cybersecurity of IoT systems, products, connected devices and the environments in which they are deployed. By collaborating with stakeholders across government, industry, international bodies, academia, and consumers, the program aims to cultivate trust and foster an environment that enables innovation on a global scale. Work has touched on IoT product development in the NISTIR 8258 series, cybersecurity of IoT for the Federal Government via SP 800-213, and consumer IoT products with guidance such as NISTIR 8425, but the Cybersecurity for IoT program’s work goes beyond these publications. Find out more about what the Cybersecurity for IoT program is working on at the program page! 

Immersive Technologies 

Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies (“immersive technologies”) have the potential to transform the way we interact with each other and the world. They hold promise to drive innovation and economic growth in numerous areas such as workforce, accessibility, and healthcare. However, their creation and use have important cybersecurity and privacy considerations that have interdisciplinary implications. NIST is researching the current state of immersive technologies, gathering insights and feedback from our stakeholder community. 

This project aims to: 

• Identify ways in which NIST can support trustworthy immersive technologies. 
• Explore current immersive technologies and solutions. 
• Support informed development of related guidelines, tools, and resources. 
• Develop a roadmap for NIST competencies around these technologies, focusing on cybersecurity and privacy risk management. 

NIST welcomes and encourages community input on this project. A detailed list of topics for comment related to immersive tech, cybersecurity, and privacy can be found in our Topics for Comment document. 

You can reach out about this project at immersivetech [at] nist.gov (immersivetech[at]nist[dot]gov)