Istio FIPS refers to the support for Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) compliance within the Istio service mesh. Istio is an open source service mesh platform used for managing and securing microservices-based applications in complex multi-cloud environments.
FIPS compliance is a set of security standards established by the U.S. government for protecting sensitive information. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) sets guidelines that all federal agencies, contractors, and vendors are required to follow. This includes rules for cryptographic modules, such as any type of hardware, software, or applications that use data encryption technology. The NIST Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) ensures that validated modules are safe and approved for use in federal information systems.
By supporting FIPS compliance, Istio can be used in environments that require adherence to FIPS standards such as certain U.S. federal agencies or organizations that handle sensitive government information. Istio FIPS provides an additional layer of security assurance, particularly in deployments where FIPS compliance is mandatory. Enabling FIPS compliance in Istio involves configuring Istio to use only FIPS-approved cryptographic algorithms and modules. This ensures that Istio’s encryption and cryptographic operations comply with the rigorous security standards mandated by FIPS 140-2. Tetrate Istio Subscription customers receive a certificate of compliance with our FIPS-verified builds to ensure that their use of Istio satisfies FedRAMP’s requirements for authority to operate.