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WASHINGTON, DC 20510?3703

221 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224?5244

June 19, 2019

The Honorable Walter G. Copan

Director

National Institute of Standards and Technology
100 Bureau Drive

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

Dear Director Copan:

I write to ask that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) create and publish
guidance describing how individuals and organizations can safely share sensitive documents
with others over the internet. Government agencies routinely share and receive sensitive data
through insecure methods such as emailing .zip ?les - because employees are not provided the
tools and training to do so safely.

As you know, it is a routine practice in the government, and indeed the private sector, to send by
email password-protected .zip ?les containing sensitive documents. Many people incorrectly
believe that password-protected .zip ?les can protect sensitive data. Indeed, many password?
protected .zip ?les can be easily broken with off-the-shelf hacking tools. This is because many
of the software programs that create .zip ?les use a weak algorithm by default. While
secure methods to protect and share data exist and are freely available, many people do not know
which software they should use.

Given the ongoing threat of cyber attacks by foreign state actors and high-pro?le data breaches,
this is a potentially catastrophic national security problem that needs to be ?xed. The
government must ensure that federal workers have the tools and training they need to safely
share sensitive data. To address this problem, I ask that NIST create and publish an easy-to-
understand guide describing the best way for individuals and organizations to securely share
sensitive data over the internet.

If you have any questions about this request, please contact Chris Soghoian in my of?ce.
Sincerely,

awwfw

Ron Wyden
United States Senator

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