Which standard validates the Secure Hash Algorithm family?

• A. FIPS 180-3
• B. FIPS 186-3
• C. FIPS 198-1
• D. FIPS 140-2

Answer: (A)

The hashing family is defined and validated by a standards document that specifically describes how the Secure Hash Algorithms operate, what their outputs look like, and how implementations must behave to be interoperable. This standard lays out the algorithms (including the SHA variants), the block processing, padding rules, and the required test vectors and conformance criteria so that different systems can reliably produce identical hashes for the same input. That clear, authoritative specification is what federal systems rely on to trust and validate hashing implementations, which is why this standard is the correct reference for the SHA family.

Other standards focus on different areas: one governs digital signatures, another addresses pseudorandom number generation, and another specifies security requirements for cryptographic modules. These do not define or validate the hashing algorithms themselves, so they aren’t the appropriate reference for the SHA family.