The Cryptographic Toolkit is being developed by a subgroup of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), whos members work to implement and promote cryptographic technologies and efficient practices. The purpose of the toolkit is to "enable US Government agencies and others to select cryptographic security components and functionality for protecting their data, communications, and operations." Several documents make up the Cryptographic Toolkit, providing guidance and standards for encryption, digital signatures, and password usage and generation, to name a few. Four main encryption algorithms are discussed in detail, as well as modes of operation to properly use them.