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CHEETAH 15K.7 FC PRODUCT MANUAL, REV. E 31
7.0 ABOUT FIPS
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 140-2 is a U.S. Government Computer Security Standard
used to accredit cryptographic modules. It is titled 'Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules (FIPS PUB 140-2)' and
is issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Purpose
This standard specifies the security requirements that will be satisfied by a cryptographic module utilized within a security
system protecting sensitive but unclassified information. The standard provides four increasing, qualitative levels of security:
Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4. These levels are intended to cover the wide range of potential applications and
environments in which cryptographic modules may be employed.
Validation Program
Products that claim conformance to this standard are validated by the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP)
which is a joint effort between National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security
Establishment (CSE) of the Government of Canada. Products validated as conforming to FIPS 140-2 are accepted by the
Federal agencies of both countries for the protection of sensitive information (United States) or Designated Information
(Canada).
In the CMVP, vendors of cryptographic modules use independent, accredited testing laborites to have their modules tested.
National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) accredited laboratories perform cryptographic module
compliance/conformance testing.
Seagate Enterprise SED
The SED drives referenced in this Product Manual have been validated by CMVP and have been thoroughly tested to satisfy
FIPS 140-2 Level 2 requirements. In order to operate in FIPS Approved Mode of Operation, these SEDs require security
initialization. For more information, refer to 'Security Rules' section in the 'Security Policy' document uploaded on the NIST
website - Cert# 1299: Seagate Secure® Enterprise Self-Encrypting Drives FIPS 140 Module: http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/
STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/140val-all.htm
Security Level 2
Security Level 2 enhances the physical security mechanisms of a Security Level 1 cryptographic module by adding the
requirement for tamper-evidence, which includes the use of tamper-evident coatings or seals on removable covers of the
module. Tamper-evident coatings or seals are placed on a cryptographic module so that the coating or seal must be bro-
ken to attain physical access to the critical security parameters (CSP) within the module. Tamper-evident seals are placed
on covers to protect against unauthorized physical access. In addition Security Level 2 requires, at a minimum, role-based
authentication in which a cryptographic module authenticates the authorization of an operator to assume a specific role
and perform a corresponding set of services.
Figure 10. Example of FIPS tamper evidence labels.
Note. Image is for reference only, may not represent actual drive.