In it, Kostyuk and Landau examine how the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) remained a purveyor of cryptographic algorithms after Edward Snowden leaked that one of their codes had been subverted. They also discuss the international implications of utilizing the same algorithms across borders and the lack of alternatives present to those seeking cryptography.

“The potential for the transformation of the Internet increases the importance of NIST cryptographic standards to U.S. national security,” they write. “Because their worldwide acceptance has enabled international communications to travel securely over a highly insecure network, the standards have played an important role in U.S. national and economic security.”

Read the full article in the Harvard National Security Journal.