NIST IR 8587: Protecting Tokens and Assertions from Forgery, Theft, and Misuse

Issued by

National Institute of Standards and Technology

liveEffective 2026-09-15NIST-IATUpdated October 2026 · Last verified October 1, 2026

NIST IR 8587, finalized on 15 September 2026, gives federal agencies and cloud service providers recommendations to protect identity tokens, access tokens, and assertions from forgery, theft, and misuse. It builds on NIST SP 800-53 Release 5.1.1 and covers single sign-on, federation, and API access.

Applies To

Large enterpriseSMBPublic sectorAI developerAI deployer

Overview

NIST published the final version of Interagency Report 8587 on 15 September 2026. Its full title is 'Protecting Tokens and Assertions from Forgery, Theft, and Misuse: Implementation Recommendations for Agencies and Cloud Service Providers'. An initial public draft came out on 22 December 2025, and CISA staff co-authored it. The report helps federal agencies and cloud service providers protect identity tokens, access tokens, and assertions. It builds on updates in NIST SP 800-53 Release 5.1.1 and covers key management, token verification, and life cycle controls. Its scenarios include single sign-on, federation, and API access. It is not binding on private companies and has no separate effective date. It is still a useful baseline for any organization using token-based access, including AI services and agents that rely on API tokens.

Key Requirements

•Protect the keys used to sign tokens and assertions.
•Verify tokens and assertions properly before trusting them.
•Apply life cycle controls to tokens, from issuance to expiry and revocation.
•Cover single sign-on, federation, and API access scenarios.
•Builds on NIST SP 800-53 Release 5.1.1, and is aimed at federal agencies and cloud service providers.

What Your Organization Must Do

→Review how your organization issues, verifies, and revokes identity and access tokens against the report's recommendations.
→Check that keys used to sign tokens and assertions are protected and managed throughout their life cycle.
→Map the report's practices to your existing NIST SP 800-53 Release 5.1.1 control work where that framework is already in use.
→Ask cloud service providers serving federal agencies whether they follow the report's token protection practices.
→Extend token controls to AI services and agents that rely on API tokens for access.
→Treat the report as a voluntary baseline, since it is not binding on private companies and carries no penalties.

Playbook Guidance

Step-by-step implementation guidance for compliance teams.

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Governance Controls

Operational controls that implement requirements from this regulation.

AGT-025Agent Access Entitlement Runtime Re-Validation AGT-030MCP Server Inventory and Configuration Baseline

Frequently Asked Questions

Does NIST IR 8587 apply to private companies without federal contracts?: They are not obliged to follow it. It is still a sound baseline for any organization using token-based access, including access to AI APIs.
How does NIST IR 8587 relate to FedRAMP and federal security obligations?: It is aimed at federal agencies and cloud service providers, and builds on SP 800-53 controls. Cloud providers serving agencies should expect agencies to look for its practices.
Are there penalties for not following NIST IR 8587?: None, because it is a NIST interagency report with recommendations, not a regulation.
When does NIST IR 8587 take effect?: NIST finalized it on 15 September 2026. It applies from publication, with no separate effective date or transition period.