FIPS Compliance
Extend Encryption Capabilities to
Strengthen Content Security and Interoperability
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) are designed to ensure the security and privacy of sensitive information in federal agencies and other organizations. FIPS 140-2, one of the more widespread implementations of FIPS cryptographic controls, extends far beyond standard encryption. FIPS 140-2 certification ensures that cryptographic modules, including software and hardware, but also encryption, hashing, and digital signature algorithms, meet the highest levels of security and confidentiality. This more comprehensive and holistic approach to information security lets organizations better mitigate the risk of unauthorized access to controlled unclassified information (CUI), personally identifiable information and protected health information (PII/PHI), intellectual property, and other confidential information.
The Kiteworks Private Content Network offers FIPS 140-2 Level 1 validation, enabling out-of-the-box FIPS compliance for U.S. government agencies, contractors, and organizations in highly regulated industries. These organizations rely on FIPS 140-2 certification to ensure their critical content is encrypted securely in transit, with the proper levels of confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. By demonstrating FIPS 140-2 compliance, these organizations build trust with their customers and partners, gain a competitive advantage over their competitors, and mitigate the risk of a data breach, compliance violation, litigation, and customer loss.
FIPS Compliance: An Essential Component for Secure File Sharing
FIPS 140-2 compliance ensures that any cryptographic technology being used to protect sensitive information meets specific security requirements that have been tested and validated by NIST. FIPS 140-2 compliance also provides a level of assurance to customers and partners that their information is being protected by reliable and secure cryptographic technology. Kiteworks offers a FIPS 140-2 Level 1 validated module for secure file sharing and secure file transfer, available in both on-premises and hosted deployments. All content in transit is encrypted, featuring TLS 1.2, with cryptographic algorithms and FIPS-validated cipher suites. Algorithms for symmetric and asymmetric message authentication and hashing are also covered.
FIPS Compliance: Secure Content Sharing and Transfers With Advanced Encryption
While encryption provides a basic level of protection, advanced encryption provides a higher level of security and is typically used for securing highly sensitive content that, if leaked, could be catastrophic. The advanced encryption capabilities available in a FIPS 140-2 validated file sharing solution uses more complex algorithms and techniques such as key stretching, salting, or using more advanced encryption algorithms such as AES-256 or RSA 4096. The Kiteworks Private Content Network secures sensitive email and file attachment content with AES-256-bit encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 encryption for content in transit and every file shared is encrypted with its own unique encryption key. In addition, organizations have sole ownership of their encryption keys and rotate those keys whenever they want; Kiteworks cannot access any organization’s content.
FIPS Compliance: Meet Government Security Standards and Stay in Good Standing With Government Agencies
If you need to comply with FedRAMP, NIST 800-171, or CMMC 2.0, you must use FIPS 140-2 certified encryption. Why? FIPS 140-2 validated encryption assures CUI remains confidential and minimizes the risk of data breaches, legal, and financial penalties. When government contractors use Kiteworks’ FIPS 140-2 certified Private Content Network, they meet critical federal security standards for content security. This means the content they send, receive, share, and collaborate on is encrypted and secure, preserving CUI and mitigating the risk of a data breach or cyberattack. And because Kiteworks is FIPS 140-2 certified, government contractors who use Kiteworks take a step closer to demonstrating compliance with FedRAMP, NIST 800-171, and CMMC 2.0.
FIPS Compliance: Protect CUI When Sharing It With Partner Agencies and Constituents
It is critical for government agencies to use a FIPS 140-2 certified file sharing solution when sharing CUI with partner agencies and constituents, as it ensures that the content remains secure and confidential during transit and at rest. As a recognized and trusted industry standard that demonstrates a high level of security and reliability, FIPS 140-2 certification provides assurance to partner agencies and constituents that their sensitive content is protected against unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure, in compliance with regulatory frameworks and security best practices. Kiteworks’ FIPS 140-2 certified Private Content Network provides government agencies with better control over their CUI, including the ability to set permissions and access controls, as well as track and monitor user and file activity. This helps public sector organizations identify potential security threats and take proactive measures to protect their private citizen constituents and prevent exposure of valuable CUI.
FIPS Compliance: Show Clients, Consumers, and Patients Their Privacy Is a Top Priority
Many industries, such as healthcare and financial services, require organizations to ensure patient and client privacy. When these and other businesses use FIPS 140-2 validated encryption, they protect their customers’ privacy, and also demonstrate compliance, avoiding costly fines and litigation. FIPS 140-2 certification also requires that cryptographic modules have auditing and monitoring capabilities to track and report security events. Businesses that use Kiteworks’ FIPS 140-2 certified Private Content Network leverage these and other capabilities to showcase their commitment to content security and customer privacy, build trust with customers, and enhance their positioning in the marketplace. Kiteworks’ extensive security, monitoring, and reporting capabilities enable organizations to protect their file and email communications in transit and at rest, set role-based permissions and access controls, track and monitor user activity, and finally, demonstrate compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, GLBA, PCI DSS, and other data privacy regulations.
FIPS Compliance: More Than Just a Certification
FIPS is much more than a requirement for organizations that wish to avoid a compliance violation. FIPS 140-2 compliance is in fact considered a best practice. Organizations that demonstrate FIPS compliance achieve the highest levels of content security, assurance, and dependability. They protect the content they share with advanced encryption. They protect the content they store with role-based permissions and access controls. They track and monitor user activity. As a FIPS 140-2 certified solution, Kiteworks has been independently evaluated for security. Using Kiteworks’ FIPS 140-2 compliant platform for secure file sharing and secure file transfer allows organizations to build trust with customers and gain a distinct advantage in a competitive marketplace, as customers are more likely to do business with organizations that can demonstrate their commitment to data security.
Frequently Asked Questions
FIPS compliance stands for Federal Information Processing Standards compliance and it refers to the security standards required by the United States government for protecting sensitive information. This includes information related to national security as well as other sensitive and confidential data, such as personally identifiable information and protected health information (PII/PHI). FIPS compliance includes standards related to data encryption, secure hashing, digital signature algorithms, and other important aspects of data security. Adhering to FIPS compliance is necessary for any organizations that handle or store data for the U.S. government in order to ensure the safety of that information.
The requirements for achieving FIPS compliance are outlined in the FIPS 140-2 standard, which is maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This standard covers aspects such as cryptographic key lengths, type of encryption algorithms, and other security components like authenticity, integrity, and non-repudiation. Additionally, organizations must also consider aspects such as physical security, user authentication, access control, and data security.
In order to become FIPS compliant, organizations must first have their security systems and data systems evaluated by an accredited third-party testing laboratory. This evaluation should include a thorough review of all the FIPS 140-2 security requirements and is intended to ensure that the organization is implementing the right security measures to protect sensitive data. After this evaluation is complete, the organization can obtain a FIPS certification certificate to demonstrate compliance.
FIPS compliance offers organizations various benefits. By adhering to the rigorous standards established by the U.S. government, organizations can ensure that their systems are secure and can be trusted to protect confidential information. Additionally, organizations that are FIPS compliant can demonstrate their commitment to data security and can gain credibility with other organizations, customers, and government agencies that require FIPS-level security.
Organizations should actively monitor their systems for any security threats and take steps to address any security vulnerabilities that arise. Additionally, organizations should review and update their security systems regularly to ensure that they still meet the requirements of the FIPS 140-2 standard. Finally, it is also important to perform periodic audits of their FIPS compliant systems to make sure that the security measures in place are still effective and up to date.
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