In advance of the International Cryptographic Module Conference (ICMC) 2026, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalized and published the Automation of the NIST Cryptographic Module Validation Program: September 2024 Status Report. It evolved from the Initial Public Draft (CSWP 37 IPD) into the finalized publication, CSWP 37A. In addition, the initial public draft of the subsequent report, the Automation of the NIST Cryptographic Module Validation Program: April 2025 Status Report (NIST CSWP 37B ipd), is currently available on the NIST website for review.
We previously covered this effort, which includes contributions from the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP), testing laboratories, and vendors, in our September 2024 blog following the ICMC. In May 2025, we provided an update on the accelerated timeline after personnel changes at NIST, including the announcement that the ACMVP demo server went live. At that time, we encouraged stakeholders to explore the demo environment and provide feedback.
ACMVP at ICMC 2026
The current state and future direction of the ACMVP project will feature prominently at ICMC 2026, taking place April 20–23rd in Arlington, Virginia:
- Automation of CMVP Project Update Panel (C12a) – Led by Chris Celi of NIST, with panelists from Katalyst LLC, Cisco, AWS, atsec, and NIST, this 60-minute panel will cover the latest project developments.
- ACMVP Adoption Roadmap (C12c) – A presentation by Chris Celi of NIST on the path forward for deploying the automated validation system.
- Modernized AWS Infrastructure for ACMVP (C12d) – Douglas Boldt of AWS and colleagues from MITRE will present on the cloud-native infrastructure built to support the program.
All three sessions are scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, April 21, in Studio D.
If you are attending ICMC 2026, this is your opportunity to help shape the next generation of cryptographic module validation. Join the panel discussion, ask questions, and make sure your perspective is heard.
And don’t forget to visit us at booth #3!
