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FIPS is terrible, except that sometimes if you shout "FIPS 140 compliance for US gov contracts" enough into the corporate hierarchy you eventually get the budge
by SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
FIPS is terrible, except that sometimes if you shout "FIPS 140 compliance for US gov contracts" enough into the corporate hierarchy you eventually get the budget to implement any security whatsoever, even though it's just FIPS.
If you're not trying to get US government contracts that require it, don't bother with FIPS. It mandates older algorithms; they're mostly secure enough but not as performant and there are a lot more footguns. FIPS 140-3 fixed a few, but not all.
- dadrian 3y agoThere's a difference between FIPS approved algorithms, which are actually pretty broad and well-selected these days, and FIPS validated implementations, which are at best a PITA and often actively harmful. Very rarely do you actually need a FIPS-validated implementation.