AirMagnet First Wireless Intrusion Detection Provider to Achieve FIPS Certification

AirMagnet Inc.today announced that the company is the first wireless intrusion detection systems vendor to achieve Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS 140-2) certification.The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued the FIPS 140 Publication Series to coordinate the requirements and standards for cryptographic modules, which include both hardware and software components, for use by departments and agencies of the United States federal government. As of December 2006, the standard was updated to FIPS 140-2 and, under new guidelines, achieving FIPS certification is required before a vendor can file for Common Criteria, an international standard for computer security.

AirMagnet first achieved FIPS 140 certification for its 5010 and 5012 sensors and AirMagnet achieved FIPS 140-2 certification for its currently shipping 5020 and 5023 sensors well ahead of the deadline of October 1, 2008 specified by the new guidelines. With FIPS certification now complete, AirMagnet is now pursuing Common Criteria.

"We partner with a wide variety of technology companies to deliver a broad spectrum of solutions to the federal government," said Jet Defensor, director of networks and security for TKC Integration Services. "AirMagnet has definitely taken the lead in the WLAN management space in terms of proactively becoming FIPS certified and working toward Common Criteria. Because of that fact, we're able to easily work with them to successfully sell into the government sector."

"The federal market has always been extremely important for AirMagnet, and as a company we've embraced the highest levels of certification and support for industry standards," said Chia-Chee Kuan, CTO and founder at AirMagnet. "Our FIPS certification, and the plan for subsequent Common Criteria certification, demonstrates our commitment to government organizations that depend on secure and highly reliable WLAN solutions, like the US Army and NASA. It is also relevant to enterprise and general business customers to have a product that has undergone rigorous testing and meets the highest standards for WLAN intrusion detection."