Federal Information Processing Standards

The US government produces technical advice on IT systems and security, including data encryption. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is an important body concerned with IT systems and security. NIST produces recommendations and standards, including the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).

A significant one of these standards is FIPS 140-2, which requires the use of strong cryptographic algorithms. FIPS 140-2 also specifies requirements for hashing algorithms to be used to protect packets against modification in transit.

IBM MQ provides FIPS 140-2 support when it has been configured to do so.

Over time, analysts develop attacks against existing encryption and hashing algorithms. New algorithms are adopted to resist those attacks. FIPS 140-2 is periodically updated to take account of these changes.