Orchestrator-workers on OWASP vs NIST on password hashing

Password Hashing Algorithm Recommendations: OWASP vs NIST

Based on the worker's research, here is what each source recommends and how they reconcile:

OWASP Password Storage Guidance

OWASP provides tiered recommendations. For general use without FIPS compliance constraints, OWASP recommends Argon2id as the primary algorithm, configured with a minimum of 19 MiB of memory, an iteration count of 2, and 1 degree of parallelism. Scrypt is recommended as a fallback if Argon2id is unavailable, and bcrypt only for legacy systems.

However, OWASP explicitly addresses the FIPS compliance scenario: when FIPS-140 compliance is required, OWASP recommends PBKDF2 with a work factor of 600,000 or more iterations, using HMAC-SHA-256 as the internal hash function.

NIST SP 800-63B (Current Revision 4) Requirements

NIST SP 800-63B-4 requires that "an approved password hashing scheme published in the latest revision of [SP800-132] or updated NIST guidelines on password hashing schemes SHOULD be used." The standard defines "approved cryptography" as "Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)-approved or NIST-recommended" techniques. NIST mandates that passwords "SHALL be salted and hashed using a suitable password hashing scheme," with the cost factor "SHOULD be as high as practical without negatively impacting verifier performance." Notably, for federal agencies specifically, cryptography used by verifiers "SHALL be validated to meet the requirements of [FIPS140] Level 1."

Reconciliation Strategy

The two sources do not conflict; they address different operational contexts:

1. When FIPS-140 compliance is NOT required: Both sources recommend modern memory-hard algorithms. OWASP explicitly recommends Argon2id, which aligns with NIST's reference to "updated NIST guidelines" rather than the older SP 800-132.
2. When FIPS-140 compliance IS required: Both sources align on PBKDF2 as the appropriate choice. OWASP explicitly states that PBKDF2 "is permitted by NIST SP 800-63B-4 and has FIPS-140 validated implementations" and should be the preferred algorithm when FIPS compliance is required.
3. Implementation guidance: Teams should first determine whether FIPS compliance is mandatory (typically for federal agencies or systems supporting federal operations). If not required, implement Argon2id per OWASP specifications. If FIPS compliance is required, implement PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA-256 with 600,000 iterations or more.

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