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Understanding FIPS Terminology and Supported Cryptographic Algorithms

Use the definitions of FIPS terms, and supported algorithms to help you understand Junos OS in FIPS mode.

Terminology

Critical security parameter (CSP)

Security-related information—for example, secret and private cryptographic keys and authentication data such as passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs)—whose disclosure or modification can compromise the security of a cryptographic module or the information it protects. For details, see Understanding the Operational Environment for Junos OS in FIPS Mode.
Cryptographic module

The set of hardware, software, and firmware that implements approved security functions (including cryptographic algorithms and key generation) and is contained within the cryptographic boundary.

FIPS

Federal Information Processing Standards. FIPS 140-2 specifies requirements for security and cryptographic modules. Junos OS in FIPS mode complies with FIPS 140-2 Level 1.
FIPS maintenance role

The role the Crypto Officer assumes to perform physical maintenance or logical maintenance services such as hardware or software diagnostics. For FIPS 140-2 compliance, the Crypto Officer zeroizes the Routing Engine on entry to and exit from the FIPS maintenance role to erase all plain-text secret and private keys and unprotected CSPs.

Note:

The FIPS maintenance role is not supported on Junos OS in FIPS mode.
KATs

Known answer tests. System self-tests that validate the output of cryptographic algorithms approved for FIPS and test the integrity of some Junos OS modules. For details, see Understanding FIPS Self-Tests.
SSH

A protocol that uses strong authentication and encryption for remote access across a nonsecure network. SSH provides remote login, remote program execution, file copy, and other functions. It is intended as a secure replacement for rlogin, rsh, and rcp in a UNIX environment. To secure the information sent over administrative connections, use SSHv2 for CLI configuration. In Junos OS, SSHv2 is enabled by default, and SSHv1, which is not considered secure, is disabled.
Zeroization

Erasure of all CSPs and other user-created data on a device before its operation as a FIPS cryptographic module or in preparation for repurposing the devices for non-FIPS operation. The Crypto Officer can zeroize the system with a CLI operational command.

Supported Cryptographic Algorithms

Table 1 summarizes the high level protocol algorithm support.

Table 1: Protocols Allowed in FIPS Mode

Protocol

Key Exchange

Authentication

Cipher

Integrity

SSHv2

  • dh-group14-sha1

  • ECDH-sha2-nistp256

  • ECDH-sha2-nistp384

  • ECDH-sha2-nistp521

Host (module):

  • ECDSA P-256

  • SSH-RSA

Client (user):

  • ECDSA P-256

  • ECDSA P-384

  • ECDSA P-521

  • SSH-RSA

  • AES CTR 128

  • AES CTR 192

  • AES CTR 256

  • AES CBC 128

  • AES CBC 256

  • HMAC-SHA-1

  • HMAC-SHA-256

  • HMAC-SHA-512

Table 2 lists the MACsec LC supported ciphers.

Table 2: MACsec LC Supported Ciphers
MACsec LC Supported Ciphers
AES-GCM-128
AES-GCM-256

Each implementation of an algorithm is checked by a series of known answer test (KAT) self-tests. Any self-test failure results in a FIPS error state.

Best Practice:

For FIPS 140-2 compliance, use only FIPS-approved cryptographic algorithms In Junos OS in FIPS mode.

The following cryptographic algorithms are supported in FIPS mode. Symmetric methods use the same key for encryption and decryption, while asymmetric methods use different keys for encryption and decryption.

AES

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), defined in FIPS PUB 197. The AES algorithm uses keys of 128, 192, or 256 bits to encrypt and decrypt data in blocks of 128 bits.
ECDH

Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman. A variant of the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm that uses cryptography based on the algebraic structure of elliptic curves over finite fields. ECDH allows two parties, each having an elliptic curve public-private key pair, to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel. The shared secret can be used either as a key or to derive another key for encrypting subsequent communications using a symmetric key cipher.
ECDSA

Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm. A variant of the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) that uses cryptography based on the algebraic structure of elliptic curves over finite fields. The bit size of the elliptic curve determines the difficulty of decrypting the key. The public key believed to be needed for ECDSA is about twice the size of the security level, in bits. ECDSA using the P-256, P-384, and P-521 curves can be configured under OpenSSH.
HMAC

Defined as “Keyed-Hashing for Message Authentication” in RFC 2104, HMAC combines hashing algorithms with cryptographic keys for message authentication. For Junos OS in FIPS mode, HMAC uses the iterated cryptographic hash functions SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 along with a secret key.
SHA-256 and SHA-512

Secure hash algorithms (SHA) belonging to the SHA-2 standard defined in FIPS PUB 180-2. Developed by NIST, SHA-256 produces a 256-bit hash digest, and SHA-512 produces a 512-bit hash digest.

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