In December 2022, NIST announced that the venerable SHA-1 algorithm, introduced in 1995, is at end-of-life. While wolfSSL does not use or recommend SHA-1 for new designs, we implement and support it in our products. With the NIST announcement, that will soon change for new FIPS 140 submissions, as we too will retire SHA-1.
The wolfCrypt module holds the world’s first SP800-140Br1 FIPS 140-3 validated certificate #4718 includes SHA-1. Thus, customers with an existing requirement for SHA-1 will be able to satisfy that requirement with wolfCrypt FIPS 140-3.
However, and regardless of FIPS status, customers still using SHA-1 in security-critical roles — signatures, authentications, HMAC, KDFs, etc. — should refactor the implicated systems to use a modern hash algorithm such as SHA-2 or SHA-3. wolfSSL stands ready to help our customers select and implement an appropriate migration path.
All FIPS 140 modules submitted on or after December 31 2025 will exclude SHA-1, to avoid early certificate sunset under the timeline announced by NIST.
In preparation for this transition, wolfSSL has already prepared its FIPS 140-3 codebase to build, run, and pass full ACVP testing, with SHA-1 gated out. We are also routinely testing our mainline and FIPS codebases to assure correct function with SHA-1 disabled.
For more information on the announcement from NIST, check here.
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or +1 425 245 8247.
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