This repository contains working drafts of proposed updates to the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) specifications, including NIST SP 800-73, Parts 1 and 2, and NIST SP 800-78, to support NIST’s post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards.
These materials are intended to support the development and evaluation of potential specification changes associated with the use of PQC algorithms, including ML-DSA and ML-KEM, in the PIV environment. Topics addressed may include cryptographic algorithm identifiers, key references, key and data object formats, command behavior, certificate and container definitions, and related authentication or secure messaging mechanisms.
Draft Documents¶
The pages below provide access to the current draft set and the supporting overview page.
Overview
Overview of expected PQC-related changes, rationale, and implementation themes across the draft set.
SP 800-73 Part 1
Draft updates to the PIV Card Application Namespace, Data Model, and Representation, including identifiers, object structure, and related data definitions.
SP 800-73 Part 2
Draft updates to the PIV Card Application Card Command Interface, including command behavior, object access, and protocol changes needed to support PQC.
SP 800-78
Draft updates to cryptographic algorithms and key sizes for PIV, including PQC algorithm identifiers and related implementation guidance.
The contents of this repository are preliminary working materials provided to facilitate technical discussion and draft development.