Atos Worldline Earns FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Security Certification for its DEP/PCI

Brussels, 5 March 2010 - Atos Worldline, which brings together Atos Origin’s expertise in high-tech transactional services, has received for its DEP/PCI card the FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC).
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 is the most widely adopted security benchmark for cryptographic solutions in government and commercial enterprises. The standard defines four levels of compliance. Security requirements become more stringent as the certification levels increase. U.S. federal agencies are required to use only FIPS-certified products in any federal system that uses cryptography to protect sensitive or valuable information.

"Cryptographic solutions rely more and more on independent certifications to guarantee their secure nature. Atos Worldline started in 2002 with the certification of the DEP/PCI product range according to the Common Criteria. The renowned FIPS 140-2 certification is the next step in guaranteeing security excellence of our range of products. The independent review of the DEP/PCI security according to the FIPS 140-2 specifications is a strong support for our customers' confidence," said Dirk De Cock, CEO of Atos Worldline in Belgium.

The DEP/PCI (a PCI adapter board) is a hardware cryptographic module, also known as a hardware security module (HSM). Its combination of hardware and firmware guarantees a secure key entry and storage. Its securely upgradable application, together with its cryptographic hardware accelerator, are designed to free up servers from time-consuming cryptographic functions.

With the DEP range, Atos Worldline delivers superior cryptographic performance for the banking and payments industry and other sectors processing secure or valuable information. The DEP range includes single PCI cards, the DEP/T6 server which hosts two PCI cards on an industrial-grade rack and the DEP/NMS system for remote management of a pool of HSM devices. It offers hardware-based cryptographic functionality, which maximizes performance and ensures security best practices. Those cryptographic functions are directly accessible from the PCI bridge of the DEP/PCI or the network interface of the DEP/T6. Most national and international payment schemes are covered.

Beyond the development of DEP hardware, Atos Worldline is also recognized for developing and delivering custom-made cryptographic solutions.