Hardening the Security of Nuvoton’s Embedded Controller and Super I/O Chips

Hsinchu, Taiwan – 17 January 2024 – Nuvoton Technology Corporation is proud to announce that its Nuvoton Cryptographic Library (NCL) 2.0 has been awarded Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-3 Level 1 validation from the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) under the US Department of Commerce. “Receiving this FIPS 140-3 certificate is an important milestone for Nuvoton”, said Erez Naory, VP Client and Security Products at Nuvoton.

Nuvoton’s NCL 2.0 technology is embodied in a hardware cryptographic module that provides security services for Nuvoton’s Embedded Controller (EC), Super I/O (SIO) and Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) product lines. The NIST validation certificate awarded to Nuvoton, Certificate 4603, confirms that NCL 2.0 meets the rigorous security requirements of the FIPS 140-3 standard.

Globally-Recognized Security Standard

FIPS 140-3 is the global benchmark for validating the quality and reliability of cryptographic modules. Compliance with this standard is an essential requirement for systems and applications that handle sensitive information for government agencies and financial institutions. FIPS 140-3 ensures that the cryptographic module protects the confidentiality and integrity of the data it processes.
 

World First Cryptographic Capability Support

Nuvoton’s NCL 2.0 is a firmware library that leverages the hardware cryptographic engines embedded in Nuvoton’s EC and SIO chips. The library supports a wide range of cryptographic protocols, such as AES, ECSDA, Hash DRBG, HMAC-SHA-2, RSA, and more. NCL 2.0 offers various security capabilities, such as key verification, signature generation, and signature verification, with key lengths up to 512 bits. Nuvoton is the first vendor to achieve FIPS 140-3 certification on a hardware cryptographic module.

“We are committed to further enhancing the library by adding services responsive to industry trends and complying with the NIST roadmap and standards,” said Erez Naory of Nuvoton. “The NCL will continue to be an integral part of our Embedded Controller (EC) and Super I/O (SIO) products, and it is now also enhancing our Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) product line.”

Learn more about Nuvoton Cryptographic Library (NCL) 2.0 at:
https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/cryptographic-algorithm-validation-program/details?product=13832
 

About Nuvoton Technology

Nuvoton Technology Corporation (Nuvoton) was founded to bring innovative semiconductor solutions to the market. Nuvoton was spun-off as a Winbond Electronics affiliate in July 2008 and went public in September 2010 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE). Nuvoton focuses on the development of microcontroller, microprocessor, smart home, cloud security IC, battery monitoring IC, components, visual sensing and IoT with security. The company has a strong market share in Industrial, Automotive, Communication, Consumer and Computer markets. Nuvoton owns 6-inch wafer fabs equipped with diversified processing technologies to provide professional wafer foundry services. Nuvoton provides products with a high performance/cost ratio for its customers by leveraging flexible technology, advanced design capability, and integration of digital and analog technologies. Nuvoton values long term relationships with its partners and customers and is dedicated to continuous innovation of its products, processes, and services. Nuvoton has established subsidiaries in the USA, China, Israel, India, Singapore, Korea and Japan to strengthen regional customer support and global management. For more information, please visit https://www.nuvoton.com.