Blue Coat Systems, a leading application delivery networking firm, has achieved Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 certification for its Blue Coat ProxySG appliances and SGOS 5.3 operating system.

The Blue Coat ProxySG appliances are the first and only secure Web gateway appliances that have been FIPS 140-2 certified, according to a statement.

Blue Coat has also received ICSA Labs certification for its SGOS 5.3 operating system and its ProxySG appliances are the only secure Web gateway appliances that are certified at Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 2.

"Blue Coat appliances feature a purpose-built, highly secure operating system and architectural elements that are designed to meet the most rigorous security standards in the world," said Nidal Taha, regional director for ME and Turkey, Blue Coat Systems.

“These security certifications underscore our commitment and ability to provide government organizations and enterprises with the high levels of security they require.”

Federal Information Processing Standards are publicly announced standards developed by the US Federal government for use by all non-military government agencies and by government contractors.

FIPS 140-2 covers the secure design and implementation of a cryptographic module, including roles, services, and authentication; physical security; operational environment; cryptographic key management; electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility; self-tests; design assurance; and mitigation of other attacks.

In addition to achieving FIPS certification, Blue Coat has also received ICSA certification for its SGOS 5.3 operating system.

ICSA Labs has been providing independent third-party security product testing and certification for 20 years.  In the tests, ProxySG appliances running SGOS 5.3 successfully identified and filtered Web traffic according to the configured security policy while keeping end users and the internal network secure from external attack.

Common Criteria is an internationally recognized set of guidelines that define a common framework for evaluating security features and capabilities of information technology security products.

To achieve a particular EAL, the computer system must meet specific assurance requirements involving design documentation, design analysis, functional testing, or penetration testing, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service