Are Your Encryption Products Up To Standard?

Every day, we hear news of another data breach, another leak, another cyberattack. It’s enough to make anyone wonder whether their encryption products are truly up to the task.

It’s not just a question for tech giants or government agencies. Whether you’re a small business owner, a healthcare provider, or a new startup, the strength of your encryption matters.

Enter cryptographic standards. Set by trusted authorities like NIST, these standards are the benchmarks against which all encryption products should be measured. In this post, we’ll dive into why these standards matter, what they mean for your data security, and how to ensure your encryption products make the grade.

NIST Guidelines: A Pillar of Trust

NIST, or the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is responsible for cybersecurity guidelines that are recognized worldwide as a gold standard in cryptographic and data protection practices. These guidelines provide a framework for ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data.

As a non-regulatory agency of the US Department of Commerce, NIST has been at the forefront of developing security standards since it was founded in 1901. Key components of the NIST cryptographic standards include the Special Publications or SP 800 series, the Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program (CAVP) for validation testing, the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP), and the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), which we’ll discuss below.

NIST guidelines ensure trust in security products in several ways:

Continual updates: Cyber threats aren’t static, and neither are NIST standards. Regular revisions and updates ensure that the guidelines remain relevant in the face of emerging threats.
Industry-wide recognition: While primarily developed for government use, NIST guidelines have become the de facto standard across many industries. Even when they’re not mandated by law, they provide a common language and set of expectations for data protection practices within a sector.
Risk management framework: NIST’s approach goes beyond just technical specifications. It provides a risk management framework that helps organizations assess, mitigate, and continuously monitor security risks.
Future-proofing: NIST compliance signifies that a platform is not only meeting today's security requirements but is also designed to adapt to tomorrow’s challenges. This forward-thinking approach has been particularly crucial as more and more organizations have migrated their data to the cloud.

Understanding FIPS 140-3

The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-3 is the latest iteration of a cryptographic standard that ensures data security products meet strict security requirements. It succeeded FIPS 140-2 in September 2019.

FIPS 140-3 is mandatory for all US federal agencies that use cryptographic-based security systems to protect sensitive information in computer and telecommunication systems. It’s also crucial for organizations that handle sensitive information like healthcare records, financial data, and classified communications.

In ShardSecure’s case, being FIPS 140-3 compliant means that our platform adheres to the highest levels of cryptographic security, providing customers with confidence that their data is protected against unauthorized access and tampering.

FIPS 140-3 compliance is not only a hallmark of strong encryption but also an assurance that the product has undergone rigorous testing and validation. As cyber threats continue to grow, choosing a FIPS-compliant solution like ShardSecure is essential for safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining compliance with industry regulations.

Why Cryptographic Standards Matter for Data Security Products

In the realm of data security, robust protection isn’t just about addressing current threats—it's about anticipating future risks. This is where cryptographic standards like FIPS 140-3 and NIST guidelines play a crucial role.

Think of these standards as the blueprint for building a resilient digital infrastructure. They ensure that data security products are constructed correctly, with strong encryption as their foundation and secure key management as their fortifications.

Choosing a data security product that complies with FIPS 140-3 and NIST guidelines offers several key benefits:

Enhanced data integrity and confidentiality: These standards set a high bar for protecting sensitive information, ensuring it remains accurate and accessible only to authorized parties.
Streamlined regulatory compliance: For industries like healthcare and finance, where data protection regulations are particularly stringent, using FIPS-compliant products can significantly simplify the compliance process.
Future-ready security: In an environment where cyber threats are constantly evolving, FIPS and NIST standards provide a framework for adaptability. They’re designed with future data protection issues in mind, helping security measures stay ahead of emerging challenges.

ShardSecure’s Commitment to Data Security

ShardSecure’s patented microsharding technology goes beyond traditional encryption methods by fragmenting data into small pieces and distributing them across multiple storage locations. Even if an attacker gains access to one piece of data, it’s impossible to reconstruct the full dataset without access to all the fragments, which are stored in geographically dispersed locations.

The platform’s ability to maintain compliance with evolving regulations, such as the GDPR and CCPA, is complemented by its FIPS 140-3 and NIST certifications. This makes ShardSecure a highly adaptable and future-proof solution for organizations that need to remain compliant while also protecting their most sensitive data.

The Future of Data Security

For now, NIST and FIPS 140-3 remain the gold standards for data security. However, security frameworks are continuously being updated, and we expect to see major changes as quantum cryptography becomes a reality. At the very least, new algorithms will need to be adopted to address the potential vulnerabilities created by quantum computing.

We also anticipate a shift towards post-quantum cryptography, with NIST already in the process of standardizing new algorithms. (In 2022, it selected its first four quantum-resistant algorithms: CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, FALCON, and SPHINCS+.) These changes will likely reshape our entire approach to data protection, affecting everything from secure communications to digital signatures and key exchange protocols.

While we can’t predict exactly what the future holds for data security, change is inevitable. Staying informed, remaining agile, and fostering a security-first mindset will be key to navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Above all, organizations — and their data protection vendors — must be prepared to adapt quickly to new threats and regulatory requirements.

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