Category: wolfCrypt FIPS

Do you need a FIPS 140-3 validated cryptography library for your ARM-based platform? wolfCrypt has been FIPS 140-3 validated (certificate #4718). While full FIPS 140-3 support on ARM isn’t available just yet, it’s on our radar. We’re making strides to bring this capability to you soon.

FIPS validating a crypto library on a resource-constrained device can be more involved than doing a validation on a standard desktop-like platform. Variances in OS, Flash/RAM, filesystem (or lack of), entropy, communication, and more can make things interesting. Going through our past ARM-based validations, we have figured out how to make this process easier with wolfCrypt!

If you are interested in exploring FIPS 140-3 cryptography validations on ARM platforms, reach out to us at either facts@wolfSSL.com or +1 425 245 8247!

To learn more about our FIPS 140-3 certification, check out wolfCrypt FIPS Q&A.

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wolfSSL fans! Do you like FIPS? Do you like virtual machines? Guess what – wolfSSL’s crypto library, wolfCrypt, has been validated as the world’s first SP800-140Br1 FIPS 140-3 certificate! However, with the recent changes to the FIPS submission process, OE additions are slightly delayed via a manual process until such time as the CMVP can update the automated WebCryptik tool to support OEUP scenarios. wolfSSL Inc. is moving forward with our CSTL hoping to achieve our first OEUP manual submission in the very near future! As the landscape continues to evolve, wolfSSL remains committed to keeping wolfCrypt compliant with the latest FIPS standards. Stay tuned for more updates!

If you’re interested in getting a FIPS 140-3 approved crypto library running in your virtual or any operating environment, or if you have any questions about the process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at fips@wolfSSL.com or facts@wolfSSL.com, or call us at +1 425 245 8247. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Several years back with the release of wolfSSL 4.0.0, the wolfSSL team decided to also start releasing a new product: the wolfSSL FIPS Ready library. This product features new, state of the art concepts and technology. In a single sentence, wolfSSL FIPS Ready is a testable and free to download open source embedded SSL/TLS library with support for FIPS validation, with FIPS enabled cryptography layer code included in the wolfSSL source tree. To further elaborate on what FIPS Ready really means, you do not get a FIPS certificate and you are not FIPS validated or approved. FIPS Ready means that you have included FIPS code ready to be certified by the CMVP into your build and that you are operating according to the FIPS enforced best practices of default entry point, and Pre-Operational Self Test (POST) plus Conditional Algorithm self test (CAST).

FIPS validation is a government certification for cryptographic modules that states that the module in question has undergone thorough and rigorous testing to be certified. FIPS validation specifies that a software/encryption module is able to be used within or alongside government systems. The most recent FIPS specification is 140-3, with various levels of security offered (1-4). Currently, wolfCrypt has the world’s first SP800-140Br1 FIPS 140-3 validation with Certificate #4718! When trying to get software modules FIPS validated, this is often a costly and time-consuming effort and as such causes the FIPS validated modules to have high price tags.

Since the majority of wolfSSL products use the wolfCrypt encryption engine, this also means that if wolfSSH, wolfMQTT (with TLS support), wolfBoot, and other wolfSSL products in place can be tested FIPS validated code with their software before committing.

wolfSSL FIPS Ready can be downloaded from the wolfSSL download page.

For more information about wolfSSL and its FIPS Ready initiative, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or +1 425 245 8247.

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Hi! This note is to announce that the wolfSSL team will be adding an operational environment for FreeRTOS/OpenRTOS to the wolfCrypt FIPS 140-3 validated certificate #4718. If you need FIPS 140-3 validated crypto on FreeRTOS or OpenRTOS, let us know at facts@wolfSSL.com.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or +1 425 24 8247.

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Doing FIPS responsibly since 2014!
The wolfCrypt module now holds the world’s first SP800-140Br1 FIPS 140-3 Validated Certificate #4718.

INTRO (wolfSSL FIPS service(s)):

(skip to next paragraph for “What is FIPS”)

FIPS is rightly viewed as a complex process with a steep entry learning curve. Lucky for customers of wolfSSL Inc. our management and engineering team have taken the time to learn the documentation surrounding the topic and developed all the tooling necessary to complete FIPS validation testing of the wolfCrypt cryptographic module in coordination with an NVLAP accredited FIPS lab. In order to FIPS validate a new product or operating environment (OE), wolfSSL asks for simply a customer’s hardware, compiler/toolchain (IDE etc), and a guide such that one of our FIPS developers can sit down with nothing but a laptop and achieve compiling and running a hello-world.c application on the target product to be FIPS validated. Yes you read that right, wolfSSL does not need your proprietary application software, just a hello-world.c application to get started. The CMVP validates the cryptographic module running on the target, not the applications that are consuming that cryptographic module. The wolfSSL team will standup the wolfCrypt module on your target product using your own tooling (Compiler, Linker, Assembler) and take it through the certification process as quickly as possible leaving your dev team free to focus on preparing the end product while FIPS certification is taking place simultaneously! At the end wolfSSL staff will deliver highly detailed instructions on re-creating the exact same FIPS approved binary from the source code we deliver given all work was completed with your own tooling in keeping with ISO/IEC 19790:2012 B.2.5 as applied to open source software.

HISTORY (What is FIPS):

Since there are so many options for securing information, the U.S. and Canadian governments recognized in the 1990’s a need to standardize those algorithmic methods deemed to be the most secure and enforce use of only those algorithms in critical government systems. To “encourage” adoption of the requirements by the two governments, the organizations NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)¹ and the CCCS (Canadian Centre for Cyber Security)² were called upon to fulfill that mission. The two agencies were to collaboratively:

1. Decide which algorithms were the best/strongest
2. Evaluate: If an algorithm had multiple modes or key lengths which modes or key lengths (if any) were considered too weak and should be excluded?
3. Determine if there were other requirements aside from just having the algorithms implemented correctly
   1. Did the algorithms NEED to be re-tested periodically? (IE as the device was powering up)
   2. Did the module need to be checked periodically to see if it had been tampered with since the factory? (IE an integrity check, etc)
4. Finally to enforce/encourage adoption of these standards by federal agencies belonging to either government. (Eventually expanded to include medical and some private entities as well)

These standards were called the “Federal Information Processing Standards” or FIPS. These standards were documented in a series of “Special Publications” (SP’s).

 Out of a need to document which cryptographic modules and vendors were abiding by the standards set forth, a “certification” program was decided as the best approach. Vendors who made cryptographic modules could submit for and be awarded a certificate if their module was found to be compliant with all standards applicable to that module. The certificates would be hosted on the U.S. based NIST website so that federal agencies (or the public) could “browse” the available FIPS certified modules.

 It was a big job for the two agencies to handle alone, so in 1995 NIST and CCCS established two organizations called the “CMVP” (Cryptographic Module Validation Program)³ and CAVP (Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program)⁴ to handle testing Cryptographic modules for compliance with the standards. These two organizations would also handle issuing the certificates for vendors and products that passed algorithm testing and were found to meet all applicable standards outlined in the SP’s.

 The CAVP issues algorithm certificates (which are a prerequisite to submitting a module for FIPS certification to the CMVP). The CMVP issues FIPS certificates for “tested configurations” or “operating environments” found to pass the CAVP testing and be in compliance with the standards. Both certificate types (CAVP algo certs and CMVP FIPS certs) are hosted on the NIST website. The certificates are public domain and can be searched by anyone.

 Once established, the CMVP and CAVP needed to establish a way to “test” the modules. To that end they called upon the NVLAP (National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program)⁵ to accredit “third-party” testing laboratories that would serve as an intermediary between the vendors seeking FIPS certification and the CAVP/CMVP bodies.

 A last step in the history of FIPS was adoption of software modules. Originally when the standards were written, only dedicated hardware could perform the heavy lifting necessary for cryptographic mathematical operations so the standards were designed with ONLY hardware modules in mind. Doing cryptography in software at the time was impractical and therefore not considered in the original standards. As general purpose CPUs advanced, eventually it became feasible to implement algorithms in software and have those expensive math operations executed by a general purpose CPU in a reasonable amount of time. Once this reality arrived the standards were “adapted” to allow for both hardware and software modules. To this day there are “some scenarios” in the standards that only seem to make sense for hardware (See our blog post on vendor affirmation and how some software vendors are exploiting a loophole in the standards that was intended for hardware). NIST, the CMVP and CAVP have done a lot of work in the past few years bringing about the latest 140-3 standards. wolfSSL Inc. is thrilled to be the world’s first SP800-140Br1 FIPS 140-3 Validated, Certificate #4718, and one of the first software modules with a commercial FIPS 140-3 offering!

The Process (validating a module):

 Today a hardware or software vendor will work in coordination with an NVLAP accredited lab to complete algorithm testing and receive algorithms certificates.

(Milestone 1 of a FIPS certification effort)

 Once the vendor receives the prerequisite CAVP certificates they will perform operational testing with the same NVLAP accredited lab. Once all testing evidence has been captured and everything reviewed and approved by the NVLAP quality assurance department, the lab is ready to submit everything to the CMVP.

(Milestone 2 of a FIPS certification effort)

 The CMVP will coordinate with the vendor via the NVLAP accredited lab and once all requirements have been satisfied the CMVP will either issue a new FIPS certificate or update an existing certificate if the vendor is adding an operating environment to an existing certificate.

(Milestone 3 of a FIPS certification effort)

Submission Scenario(s) supported by wolfSSL Inc:

• New cert (draw a new module boundary around specific algorithms and certify from scratch resulting in a new certificate)
• OE addition (Add an OE to an existing certificate)
• Revalidation (redraw the module boundary of an existing validated module to include new or remove existing algorithms from the boundary description)
• Vendor Affirmation – wolfSSL is a software module vendor. As a responsible FIPS vendor wolfSSL feels that software vendors are generally incapable of determining how a change to the CPU or OS will affect the cryptography (especially if the CPU or OS changes completely). As such wolfSSL Inc does not currently offer Vendor Affirmation as a path to FIPS. Special circumstances MAY exist but would need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Timeline estimates for the various scenarios change over time. If you would like an up-to-date estimate for a given submission scenario please contact support@wolfssl.com for the latest.

Summary:

• wolfSSL Inc can make the process of certifying your product painless and hands-free once we have the product and basic instructions for getting a hello-world app up and running on the target!
• FIPS is a set of standards, detailed in Special Publications, that need to be met in order to be awarded a FIPS validation/certification published on the NIST website. A FIPS certificate, with the product listed in the certificate, is required to sell product(s) to medical, federal or military agencies and often required by some private sector entities as well.
• The process can take time so please plan accordingly!

If you have any other questions about FIPS or the process or wolfSSL Inc please contact either fips@wolfSSL.com or support@wolfSSL.com anytime. We offer free pre-sales customer support, we have FIPS evaluation options and our staff are knowledgeable and eager to help!

¹ The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was founded in 1901 and is now part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST is one of the nation’s oldest physical science laboratories. To promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. – https://www.nist.gov/about-nist

² The Cyber Centre is the single unified source of expert advice, guidance, services and support on cyber security for government, critical infrastructure owners and operations, the private sector and the Canadian public. – https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/about-cyber-centre

³ The Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) is a joint effort between the National Institute of Standards and Technology under the Department of Commerce and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, a branch of the Communications Security Establishment. The goal of the CMVP is to promote the use of validated cryptographic modules and provide Federal agencies with a security metric to use in procuring equipment containing validated cryptographic modules. – https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/Cryptographic-Module-Validation-Program

⁴ The CAVP was established in July 1995 by NIST and the Government of Canada’s CCCS. CSD’s Security Testing, Validation, and Measurement Group (STVMG) manages the validation testing of cryptographic modules and their underlying cryptographic algorithms through the CAVP and CMVP. – https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/Cryptographic-Algorithm-Validation-Program

⁵ The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) provides third-party accreditation to testing and calibration laboratories in response to legislative actions or requests from government agencies or private-sector organizations. NVLAP-accredited laboratories are assessed against the management and technical requirements published in the International Standard, ISO/IEC 17025:2017. – https://www.nist.gov/nvlap

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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wolfSSL was a proud sponsor and exhibitor at the RISC-V Summit EU earlier this year. Thank you to all the attendees that stopped by; We enjoyed the interesting discussions regarding wolfSSL in your projects.

Some of the most common questions we heard:

Q: Is wolfSSL supported on RISC-V devices?

A: Yes! Absolutely. The wolfSSL libraries run on nearly every device, including RISC-V. For instance, recently we published a blog on the HiFive Unleashed RISC-V Benchmarks.

Q: Does wolfSSL have support for RISC-V Acceleration Extensions?

A: Yes! For example, see the GitHub wolfSSL PR #7569 that implemented the AES ECB / CBC / CTR / GCM / CCM for RISC-V 64-bit in assembly language where we saw a 50x improvement in performance.

Q: Does wolfSSL have support for IP Hardware Acceleration such as OpenTitan?

A: We are currently evaluating Open Titan and various other IP solutions. We added RISC-V hardware acceleration to the Espressif ESP32-C3 and ESP32-C6 devices earlier this year.

Q: Can RISC-V devices be FIPS 140-3 Certified?

A: Yes! Recently we announced that wolfSSL is the First in the World to offer FIPS 140–3 Automated Submission with our NIST Certificate #4718.

See our prior blogs on:

• What is the difference between FIPS 140-2 and FIPS 140-3?
• FIPS vs FedRAMP Compliance and Requirements

The What is FIPS (short version) blog also applies to RISC-V with regards to how your RISC-V Operating Environment (“OE”) can be certified:

1. You send us your hardware and toolchain.
2. We run the initial tests which ensure the cryptography module behaves according to specification given your specific hardware and operating system.
3. The CMVP certified lab runs and verifies the tests and their documentation.
4. The test results are submitted to CMVP for review.
5. Your specific operating environment is added to our certificate.
6. You are FIPS 140 compliant in 60-90 days.

For more details, see our blog What is FIPS (long version).

Are you interested in RISC-V or FIPS Certification? We want to hear about your project!
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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As our readers know, wolfSSL is currently the leader in embedded FIPS certificates. The wolfCrypt module holds the world’s first SP800-140Br1 FIPS 140-3 Validated Certificate #4718, valid through July 10th, 2029.

There are a few significant changes coming with FIPS 140-3. Over the years with many specification updates, a few things got a little inconsistent, so these inconsistencies have been brought back in line. wolfSSL is prepared to deliver the first and best implementation of FIPS 140-3, so get ready.

As FIPS 140-3 is the replacement for FIPS 140-2 it is always a good idea to switch over to it as soon as possible. You will also want wolfSSL’s FIPS 140-3 Certificate for many additional reasons that include:

• Merging the FIPS + ISO Standard
• CAST Testing Streamlined – just testing the algos they are actually using.
• Addition of TLS KDF in FIPS Boundary
• Addition of SSH KDF in FIPS Boundary
• Addition of RSA 4096
• Addition of ECDSA + SHA-3
• Removal of insecure algorithms: example Triple DES

Check out the wolfSSL embedded SSL/TLS library, star us on Github, and learn more about the latest TLS 1.3 is available in wolfSSL.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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As many in the FIPS world are aware NIST retired CAVP (Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Protocol) testing on June 30th of 2020, permanently replacing CAVP with ACVP (Automated Cryptographic Validation Protocol), also referred to as ACVTS (Automated Cryptographic Validation Test System).

In order to prepare for this transition NIST offered a “demo server” that Vendors like wolfSSL and FIPS Labs could utilize in standup of the new protocol. Once the transition was completed NIST also setup “production servers” which only FIPS Labs with a trusted certificate issued by NIST can connect to; Production Vectors passing are now the gateway to Algorithm Certification (IE certs like the ones wolfSSL just received!).

Algorithm Certification is a prerequisite to CMVP FIPS 140-3 validations. This design keeps in place the need for a FIPS lab to achieve algorithm certification but it now allows for Vendors such as wolfSSL to pre-test in advance of requesting production vectors for certification! wolfCrypt holds the world’s first SP800-140Br1 FIPS 140-3 Validated Certificate #4718.

wolfSSL also supports the new ACVP, which is the successor to the two decade old CAVP system from NIST. ACVP is intended to alleviate the manual steps of the older CAVP process, creating a more efficient and effective method for cryptographic algorithm testing and validation.

More on ACVP’s

ACVP stands for (Automated Cryptographic Validation Protocol) and it is the upcoming protocol that will be used for FIPS validation. This is going to be a prerequisite certificate for the CMVP(Cryptographic Module Validation Program) and CAVP(Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program) certificates.

ACVP makes testing cryptographic algorithms and modules more efficient than the current method and more automated. There are three main parts to ACVP – a server, a proxy, and a client.

• The server side handles requests for test vectors and requests for validation among other requests. This side is operated by a FIPS lab or by NIST themselves.
• A proxy with ACVP can be used to communicate to offline systems and handle transferring information from the system being tested to the server. Often an ACVP client is used instead.
• The last part being a client, which is most relevant to users who are wanting to get their cryptography FIPS validated. An ACVP client is directly hooked up to the module to be tested and then communicates with the ACVP server to send requests for test vectors, responses of the results from running those tests, and requests for algorithm validation. There are multiple pieces required to build a ACVP client in order to complete a validation process, some of the large portions of the effort go into
  • JSON parsing / creation for communication with a ACVP server
  • HTTPS GET / POST / PUT / DELETE messages used for securely transporting information
  • 2 factor authentication with TOTP (Time-Based One-Time Password Algorithm)
  • Plugging in the test harness that runs crypto operations

Ultimately an ACVP client communicates with the server to validate cryptographic operations. This includes creating, or referencing meta data such as; vendor, OE, and module information. A simplified message flow for getting an algorithm validated is as follows: