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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteStart by mapping where cryptography is used, what it protects, and which systems and suppliers depend on it—not by searching only for algorithm names. A useful post-quantum cryptography (PQC) inventory records the mechanisms, purpose, protocols, certificates and key metadata, dependencies, owners, and protected data or processes. Combine technical discovery with configuration and supplier evidence, have owners validate findings, then prioritize the risks and keep the inventory current.
What a cryptographic inventory is—and why it matters
A cryptographic inventory is a descriptive record of cryptography used across an organization’s systems, applications, services, devices, and data flows. It should show how cryptography is used and what relies on it, not merely list algorithms. NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) calls discovery and inventory a good starting point for PQC migration in its PQC migration FAQ.
That map helps teams identify which public-key dependencies may need attention, understand the effects of changing them, and coordinate work with system owners and suppliers. It is also useful for broader cryptographic risk management, such as responding to a weakness or planning a cloud migration. An inventory is a working risk-management asset, not a one-time scan or proof that every dependency has been found.
What should a cryptographic inventory include?
Record enough context to trace each cryptographic use to the system, owner, dependency, and data or process it protects. NIST’s cryptographic inventory guidance describes the need for this broad view.
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- Mechanism and purpose: algorithms in use, including public-key algorithms and symmetric or hash algorithms, and what each is used for.
- Protocols and services: for example TLS, SSH, VPNs, code signing, email encryption, and certificate-based authentication.
- Certificates: certificates and certificate chains, with their relationship to services and systems.
- Key metadata: key type, associated algorithm, owner, application, expiration, and lifecycle status. Record metadata, not secret key material.
- Components and dependencies: systems, applications, services, libraries, hardware security modules, and other components that use or depend on cryptography.
- Protected data or process: what the mechanism protects, including sensitive information that must remain confidential for a long time and processes such as software or firmware update signing.
- Finding provenance: where the observation came from and how confidently it has been verified, so teams can distinguish confirmed facts from leads needing follow-up.
These fields turn a list of cryptographic mechanisms into a dependency map. They also make it possible to ask what would break, or what risk would remain, if a particular component or algorithm changed.
How to find where your organization uses cryptography
- Set scope and assign owners. Include relevant enterprise IT and operational technology (OT), applications, infrastructure, externally exposed services, devices, and supplier-provided technology. Assign system and data owners who can verify findings. The joint CISA/NSA/NIST fact sheet on quantum readiness specifically calls for IT and OT procurement experts to lead vendor engagement.
- Combine discovery methods. Use automated inspection alongside configuration reviews, code and certificate analysis, network and service inspection, architecture records, and vendor evidence as appropriate. NIST’s PQC migration project describes a multifaceted discovery effort and tool testing—not a guarantee that one scanner finds every cryptographic use.
- Capture context with each finding. Record the mechanism and purpose, where it runs, the system and application, owner, protocol or service, related certificate and key metadata, dependencies, protected data or process, and observation source or confidence. Without this context, an algorithm list is difficult to use for migration planning.
- Validate with owners and suppliers. Ask system owners and vendors to confirm embedded or managed cryptography, including in software and firmware signing paths. Treat an empty scanner result as unknown, not proof that no cryptography is present.
- Prioritize and maintain the record. Assess data sensitivity and required confidentiality lifetime, exposure to quantum-vulnerable public-key algorithms, operational criticality, and migration constraints. Update findings as systems and supplier products change; NIST’s cited materials do not prescribe one universal scoring formula or review cadence.
Which tools can help with cryptographic discovery?
NIST NCCoE’s FAQ, last updated June 30, 2026, lists examples and says the list is not exhaustive. It directs readers to tool providers for capabilities. Examples include:
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- Open-source examples: pqcscan for SSH/TLS servers; sslscan for SSL/TLS cipher-suite testing; crt.sh for certificates issued for a domain or organization; and cyberzero PQC Edge Scanner for PQC transition signals at the public edge.
- Collaborator examples: SandboxAQ AQtive Guard, Data-Warehouse PCert, Keyfactor AgileSec, Cisco Mercury, Tychon Cryptographic Inventory, and CodeQL.
- Related resources: the PQC Coalition Inventory Workbook as a starting point for tracking migration efforts, and CodeQL material for code scanning.
These are examples, not NIST endorsements or evidence that any one tool can create a complete inventory. The FAQ’s tool list and resources are available on the NIST NCCoE PQC migration FAQ. Check providers’ documentation for current capabilities and supported environments.
Questions to ask when evaluating a tool
- Which environments and asset types does it inspect?
- Which protocols, algorithms, code patterns, and cryptographic components can it detect?
- Does it export evidence and context that can be connected to existing asset or configuration records?
- How can system owners validate findings, and how are scope limits made visible?
- Can it help reveal supplier-provided or embedded cryptography?
These are evaluation criteria, not published comparative test results. The cited sources do not establish a performance winner among the named tools.
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How to prioritize dependencies for PQC migration
Quantum computers could undermine public-key algorithms such as RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography. Data intercepted and stored now may be decrypted later—a risk commonly called “harvest now, decrypt later.” For that reason, assess both the algorithm involved and the consequence and lifetime of the information it protects. NIST explains the risk and encourages organizations to begin planning in its announcement of its first three finalized PQC standards.
Do not limit prioritization to confidentiality. Digital signatures support integrity and trust: systems that create or validate signatures, including software and firmware update mechanisms, can be consequential dependencies. The joint agency quantum-readiness fact sheet highlights these systems alongside risk assessment, roadmaps, and supplier engagement.
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Use the inventory to compare each dependency across these dimensions, then agree on follow-up with its owner:
- Data sensitivity and confidentiality lifetime: how harmful exposure would be and how long the information must remain confidential.
- Public-key use and exposure: whether a potentially vulnerable public-key mechanism is present and what function it serves.
- Operational and integrity impact: what happens if encryption, authentication, signing, validation, or an update path fails or becomes untrustworthy.
- Migration constraints: dependencies, interoperability needs, supplier involvement, and operational limits that affect the order and feasibility of change.
NIST released its first three finalized PQC standards in 2024 and encourages organizations to begin transition planning and implementation. NIST IR 8547 is an initial public draft transition report; treat it as draft guidance, not a final requirement. The NCCoE project pairs cryptographic visibility and risk management with interoperability and benchmarking. Inventory helps determine what may need to change; interoperability work helps surface compatibility issues before production deployment.
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Keep the inventory useful over time
Cryptographic dependencies can sit in applications, infrastructure, devices, libraries, services, and supplier products. Discovery should therefore be part of ongoing asset and risk management: retain evidence and ownership, revisit unresolved findings, and update records when systems or vendor products change. Use the inventory to inform migration planning, while treating unknowns and unverified observations as work to resolve—not as confirmed absence or confirmed exposure.
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