Controlled Cryptographic Item (CCI) is a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collectio ...

term for secure telecommunications or information handling equipment, associated

cryptographic Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adver ...

component or other hardware item which performs a critical communications security (COMSEC) function. Items so designated may be unclassified but are subject to special accounting controls and required markings. Part of the physical security protection given to COMSEC equipment and material is afforded by its special handling and accounting. CCI equipment must be controlled in a manner that affords protection at least equal to other high value equipment, such as money, computers, and Privacy Act-controlled. There are two separate channels used for the handling of such equipment and materials: "the COMSEC channel" and "the administrative channel." The COMSEC channel, called the COMSEC Material Control System, is used to distribute accountable COMSEC items such as

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...

and CCI equipment, keying material, and maintenance manuals. Some military departments have been authorized to distribute CCI equipment through their standard

logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

system. The COMSEC channel is composed of a series of COMSEC accounts, each of which has an appointed COMSEC Custodian who is personally responsible and accountable for all COMSEC materials charged to his/her account. The COMSEC Custodian assumes accountability for the equipment or material upon receipt, then controls its dissemination to authorized individuals on job requirements and a need-to-know basis. The administrative channel is used to distribute COMSEC information other than that which is accountable in the COMSEC Material Control System. Persons with access to COMSEC materials are asked, among other restrictions, to avoid unapproved travel to any countries which are adversaries of the United States, or their establishments or facilities within the U.S.U.S. DOD Controlled Cryptographic Item Briefing Form DD2625
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Further reading