MCU certified to Cryptographic Module Validation Program

hitech 2021-04-23 09:39:03

“The FIPS 140 standard is an essential security requirement for applications used by government agencies, financial institutions, public facilities and infrastructure, and it is becoming a de facto standard for security worldwide,” according to Renesas. “Level 3 is a high security level with tamper detection, tamper response and identity-based authentication mechanisms for devices used to handle financial information such as hardware security modules and smart cards.”

RX65N is a general-purpose MCU aimed at industrial and IoT devices with connectivity (Ethernet, USB, CAN) and human-machine interface capability (TFT-LCD controller and 2D engine) alongside security.

Its security springs from a security module (dubbed ‘TSIP’) which is already Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program (CAVP) certified – CAVP is a NIST program for validating cryptographic algorithms.

“As more IoT devices gain network connectivity, the danger of malicious threats such as data leaks, data tampering, and spoofing grows, making security more important than ever,” said Renesas IoT v-p Sakae Ito. “CMVP Level 3 certification means that customers can build robust security into their products without the need for a dedicated security chip.”

Since the RX65N is CMVP Level 3 certified, said Renesas, other RX Family MCUs with the same TSIP (RX651, RX66N, RX72N and RX72M) “can implement the security functionality equivalent”.