NIST-IA-3(1) Cryptographic Bidirectional Authentication

Authenticate [Assignment: devices and/or types of devices] before establishing [Selection (one or more of): local; remote; network] connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based.

A local connection is a connection with a device that communicates without the use of a network. A network connection is a connection with a device that communicates through a network. A remote connection is a connection with a device that communicates through an external network. Bidirectional authentication provides stronger protection to validate the identity of other devices for connections that are of greater risk.