National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

If you go to a bank in person to open an account, they’ll want to see identification. That’s because banks need to authenticate the identity of their customers. So, they want to know you are who you say you are. But what if you’re opening an account online? It’s trickier, and many banks use identity verification questions instead. But identity thieves can often find the answers to these questions. Several states and Puerto Rico are now offering mobile driver’s licenses, so you can prove who you are online. Currently, the main use for these licenses is airport security. But as mobile driver’s licenses become more common, they’ll likely have more uses – including identifying yourself more securely online. Learn more in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/e2kX95DC #MobileDriversLicense #IdentityVerification

Smart speakers are increasingly being used for home health care — to talk to a provider, refill a prescription or schedule an appointment. Telehealth can benefit patients, but sharing confidential health information over the network can put privacy and security at risk. NIST’s new cybersecurity guidelines can help protect patients and providers alike. Check them out at https://lnkd.in/esm8HSqr

AI presents both opportunities and challenges for your cybersecurity program. New NIST guidelines can help your organization determine ways to incorporate AI into its operations while mitigating cybersecurity risks. The Cyber AI Profile can help you utilize the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to secure your AI systems, use AI to defend against cyberattacks, and proactively thwart AI threats. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e3nafYcq NIST is also planning a workshop for Jan. 14, 2026, to discuss the preliminary draft profile and will post the link for registration later this month.

Americans spend about $233 billion per year on residential energy, and an estimated 10% to 15% of that energy is lost to improper air sealing and insufficient insulation. NIST is helping to address this nearly $25 billion annual loss by measuring the thermal resistance of building insulation materials as a calibration service for insulation manufacturers and to create standard reference insulation materials. Builders, suppliers and third-party calibration laboratories use the NIST calibration services and standard reference materials to accurately characterize the thermal properties of their insulation products. NIST is also helping develop next-generation insulation materials so that new buildings can be designed to reduce energy usage and consumer costs. Learn more about one new type of insulation in this blog post: https://lnkd.in/eczdfxfh

You may have heard that quantum computers could solve currently unsolvable problems, discover new drugs and chemicals, and break our computer security. But what exactly is a quantum computer? And how can quantum physics help us do these things? By controlling matter and energy at the tiniest and coldest scales, scientists are building a new kind of machine that could do things no present-day computer can. Click the link to learn more: https://bit.ly/4rS0ucv

Fast-spreading viruses require researchers and clinical labs to speed up their response time. In this lab, we're headed toward a future in which a patient can get tested quickly to see their level of antibodies for a variety of viruses. Researchers here developed a procedure to count how many neutralizing antibodies (which bind to pathogens and block their entry into a host cell) a person can get from a vaccine or an infection. The procedure used a technique called flow cytometry, and it proved to be comparable to traditional cell imaging techniques. That means researchers around the globe can use either method and compare their work with other scientists directly.

A NIST-run software library generates digital fingerprints of software using an algorithm known as a cryptographic hash. Because they work like fingerprints, you can use them to quickly identify known content on a computer. This is done without violating any copyrights or accessing proprietary information. Law enforcement uses this software library to quickly eliminate routine files – such as clip art, videos, and standard computer files – so they can focus their investigations on potential evidence. Learn more in our latest Taking Measure blog post: https://lnkd.in/eeZpNARn #Software #Cybersecurity

We’re now accepting applications for the 2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program! Join us this coming summer and gain valuable, hands-on experience in the labs of one of the world’s leading research organizations. Apply for SURF by January 26th: https://www.nist.gov/surf

For more than a century, NIST radio stations have made the precise time available for free to everyone in the United States. Today, the NIST time broadcast serves as a dependable time reference independent of GPS. From TV networks to massive data centers, applications requiring precise time synchronization benefit from this reliability, including commercially available network time servers that use the WWVH signal for synchronization with computers and equipment across the United States.

We've had a great year, and it's all thanks to you. Now, let's wrap up 2025.