Stronger Standards, Safer Access: The Role of FIPS 140-3 in PAM

Privileged access is often a primary target for nefarious actors looking to compromise sensitive data and critical systems. To defend against this, most organizations leverage a PAM solution as their first line of defense to control who is allowed to access these systems and data.

Cryptography is the invisible shield that protects these privileged connections. 

Regulatory bodies continually strive to address the evolving threat landscape, ensuring the security of both government and private entities. For that reason, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has defined the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) to safeguard privileged access.

FIPS 140, in particular, specifies how cryptographic functions, such as encryption, decryption, key generation, and digital signatures, should be implemented and validated for optimized security and reliability. 

Beyond the federal government, many industries are also required to comply with regulatory frameworks, including HIPAA (for healthcare), PCI DSS (for payment processing), FISMA (for federal information security), and FedRAMP (for all cloud services used by U.S. federal agencies), among others. Many of these mandate the use of FIPS-approved cryptographic modules for securing sensitive data. 

For PAM solutions, FIPS compliance means that rigorously tested cryptographic modules protect both human and machine identities, and that the access granted to these identities will withstand a high level of regulatory scrutiny. It also ensures interoperability in other regulated environments, such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors. 

The Shift from FIPS 140-2 to 140-3 

FIPS 140-2, released in 2001, has long been the benchmark for cryptographic validation and has been widely adopted in the PAM industry. It has set the foundation to ensure sensitive data is protected in transit and at rest using NIST-approved algorithms.

It also ensures encryption keys and certificates are securely generated, stored, and destroyed, and authentication and session integrity are resilient against modern attacks. It has strengthened PAM by ensuring privileged access, credentials, and session data are protected by proven, validated cryptography. This provides better protection against credential theft and session hijacking. 

Though this standard has gone a long way to improve security, it reflects some limitations of the technology and threat landscape of its time. As attackers become more sophisticated and vulnerabilities emerge rapidly, some gaps in this standard have become apparent.  

FIPS 140-3 introduces important enhancements to overcome the gaps of its predecessor by addressing current-day security challenges such as stricter requirements for module integrity, authentication, and protection against physical and environmental attacks. It also enhances protection against modern attacks, ensuring cryptographic modules are resilient to today’s sophisticated threats.  

Additionally, FIPS 140-2 was originally developed as a U.S.-centric standard. FIPS-3 reduces redundant certification efforts and supports global interoperability by aligning with international standards (ISO/IEC). This ensures stronger security assurances and future-proof systems against evolving compliance mandates globally. 

Meeting the Standard 

The Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) aims to ensure that validated and FIPS-compliant cryptographic modules are secure and reliable for use in government and contractor applications for enhanced data protection. Working through the CMVP, PrivX PAM is one of the first PAM solutions to achieve FIPS 140-3 certification, reflecting a dedication to the security and resiliency of our customers.  

The recently published PrivX Release 40 comes equipped with FIPS 140-3 support, providing our users with improved compliance, government-recognized security validation, global reach, and a future-proof solution. 

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