Crypto-module for disk drives meet strictest requirements

STMicroelectronics has become the first vendor of Secure HDD System-on-Chip IP to be listed on the US National Institute of Standards and Testing (NIST) Pre-Validation list for FIPS 140-2 Level 3. ST’s silicon-validated HardCache-SL3 Crypto-Module technology is now available for integration into secure HDD SoC devices.

The Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 is a U.S. Government standard that specifies requirements for cryptographic modules. Initially developed for use by US Government departments and agencies, FIPS 140-2 is growing in importance both nationally and internationally and is the model for the International Security Standard ISO 19790 currently being developed.

The growing importance of FIPS 140-2 and ISO 19790 is the result of the increasing damages to individuals and business resulting from disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the proliferation of new laws that require enhanced security and privacy while raising the legal and financial stakes for enterprises that fail to meet the standards.

This latest step in HDD security is made possible by the embedding of ST’s HardCache-SL3 Crypto-Module technology within a state-of-the-art HDD System-on-Chip. A key feature of the HardCache-SL3 Crypto-Module is the separation of secure functions from standard drive operations. A secure boundary is well defined around the HardCache-SL3 IP which has at its core an efficient proprietary RISC processor optimized for security. The RISC processor provides the programmability required to rapidly adapt to evolving security protocols.

STMicroelectronics, www.st.com.