November 15, 2017
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) created the Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) Program to enable the use of commercial data protection in layered solutions to protect classified National Security Systems (NSS) data. Thanks to CSfC, system designers can now deploy a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution with encrypted data protection in a matter of months and at a fraction of the cost, compared to the multiple years and millions of dollars typically required to achieve certification for more sensitive Type 1 products. Type 1 products, certified by the NSA to cryptographically secure classified U.S. Government information, use approved NSA algorithms. These products are typically designed and certified by the NSA through a rigorous and often very lengthy process.