What is a Controlled Cryptographic Item (CCI)?

What is a Controlled Cryptographic Item (CCI)?

• A. A secure piece of comms equipment, unclassified but controlled.
• B. An encrypted message stored in a device
• C. A publicly available communication device
• D. A cryptographic key repository

Answer: (A)

A Controlled Cryptographic Item is a cryptographic device or material that is not classified but is controlled to safeguard encryption capabilities. That’s why the description “a secure piece of communications equipment, unclassified but controlled” is the best fit. These items require special handling, storage, and access controls even though they aren’t labeled as classified, because losing or compromising them could weaken cryptographic security. The other descriptions don’t match because they describe things that aren’t secure, controlled physical items: an encrypted message stored in a device is ciphertext, not the item itself; a publicly available device isn’t controlled; and a cryptographic key repository is a storage concept, not the controlled item being discussed.

A Controlled Cryptographic Item is a cryptographic device or material that is not classified but is controlled to safeguard encryption capabilities. That’s why the description “a secure piece of communications equipment, unclassified but controlled” is the best fit. These items require special handling, storage, and access controls even though they aren’t labeled as classified, because losing or compromising them could weaken cryptographic security.

The other descriptions don’t match because they describe things that aren’t secure, controlled physical items: an encrypted message stored in a device is ciphertext, not the item itself; a publicly available device isn’t controlled; and a cryptographic key repository is a storage concept, not the controlled item being discussed.