FIPS 140-2 Questions & Answers

Q1: What is FIPS?
FIPS is the Federal Information Processing Standard.

• It consists of 4 levels; FIPS 140-2 is the baseline requirement.
• Federal, State and Local Governments in the United States often require FIPS conformance in any product that implements security.

Q2: Does Intel provide FIPS certification for its WiFi adapters?
Yes. These drivers are available through 3rd party vendors.

Q3: Which models of the Intel® Wireless Adapters are FIPS validated?

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 105
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 135
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2200
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6235
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250¹
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N + WiMAX 6150
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200¹
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205
Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300¹
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 100
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 130
Intel® WiFi Link 1000
Intel® WiFi/WiMAX Link 5350²
Intel® WiFi Link 5100²
Intel® WiFi Link 5300²

¹ The Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250, Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200, and Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 are supported by 3eTI and Cisco.
² The Intel® WiFi/WiMAX Link 5350, Intel® WiFi Link 5100 and Intel® WiFi Link 5300 are supported by Juniper.

Q4: What operating systems do you support?
Microsoft Windows XP* 32-bit - Use 3rd party FIPS client from 3eTI or Cisco
Microsoft Windows Vista* - FIPS supported natively by the operating system
Microsoft Windows 7* - FIPS supported natively by the operating system

Q5: How can I obtain the FIPS 140-2 certified driver for the Intel® Wireless Adapters?
Contact 3eTI or Cisco for FIPS client pricing. See links below.

Q6: What are the required components of a FIPS validated solution?

• Intel WiFi Driver designed to work with FIPS certified libraries
• 3rd party client with FIPS certified libraries (available from 3eTI or Cisco).
• Secure RADIUS server and FIPS validated Access Point

Q7: Can I continue using Intel® PROSet/Wireless with a FIPS driver?
No. FIPS requires using a 3rd party WiFi connection utility such as from 3eTI or Cisco.

Q8: Where can I obtain additional information about FIPS?

• 3eTI*
• Cisco*
• Juniper*
• FIPS Standard*
• Solution brief

Q9: What are the key features of the FIPS certification?

• IEEE 802.11i, IEEE 802.1x
• EAP-TLS, AES-CCMP
• WPA2 with 128-bit AES Security
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
• X.509 Certificates
• VPN compatibility
• Common Criteria compliance

This applies to:

Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6205 For Desktop Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N + WiMAX 6150 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 100 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 105 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 130 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 135 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2200 Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2200 For Desktop Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection Intel® WiFi Link 1000