Xirrus Achieves FIPS Certification for Wi-Fi Suite

Wireless network provider Xirrus has become the first company to achieve FIPS 140-2 certification for its entire portfolio of 802.11ac, 802.11n and outdoor wireless access points and arrays. The certification marks the first time a company has achieved full government compliance for its wireless portfolio in the WLAN Access System category on the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA)/Central Security Service’s Commercial Solutions for Classified Program Components list.

With the FIPS certification, Xirrus can sell its Wi-Fi solutions to government agencies in the United States and other countries. The certification complies with the most recent security requirements set in place by NIST this year, including RSA key generation, updated OpenSSH and Open SSL versions and additional test processes, according to the company.

“FIPS certification validates that Xirrus provides the most effective and secure Wi-Fi solutions in the industry,” said Bruce Miller, vice president of Product Marketing for Xirrus, in a statement. “Government agencies can trust that our Wi-Fi solutions meet the highest criteria levels set by government agencies and exceed regulatory standards.”

FIPS 140-2 certification is a U.S. government computer security standard used to accredit cryptographic modules and to certify private sector vendor products for use in government departments and regulated industries dealing with sensitive information, according to the press release. As the government’s highest level of validated encryption, it is required for any cryptographic product used in a U.S. government agency network.

According to Xirrus, the certification will enable government agencies to choose from any of the company’s entire lineup of 29 products. Prior to Xirrus’ blanket certification, government agencies had to pick from a handful of validated products from various vendors.

Last week, Aruba Networks (ARUN) announced it had received FIPS 140-2 certification for its 802.11ac wireless LAN solutions. According to the company, its solutions are the first to be validated under the Common Criteria Wireless LAN Access Protection File, which allows government agencies in the United States and other countries to utilize Aruba’s solutions for classified and unclassified networks.