nShield F3 500, nShield F3 500 for NetHSM and nShield F3 10 PCI
nShield F3 500, nShield F3 500 for NetHSM and nShield F3 10 PCI, from nCipher Corporation Ltd., holds FIPS 140-2 certificate #966 at overall level 3. The validation is historical: agencies may keep the module in existing systems but not buy it new. Below are its validation history, algorithm certificates and security policy, drawn from the NIST CMVP entry.
Certificate
| Certificate number | 966 |
|---|---|
| Standard | FIPS 140-2 |
| Status | historical |
| Overall level | 3 |
| Module type | Hardware |
| Embodiment | Multi-chip embedded |
| Vendor | nCipher Corporation Ltd. · website |
| Hardware versions | nC4033P-500, nC4033P-500N and nC4033P-10, Build Standard N |
| Firmware versions | 2.33.60-3 |
Module description
Quoted from the NIST CMVP entry for this certificate.
The nCipher modules: nShield F3 500, Shield F3 500 for NetHSM, and nShield 10 family of secure e-commerce HSM's are multi-tasking hardware modules that is optimized for performing modular arithmetic on very large integers. The nCipher modules are FIPS 140-2 level 3 embedded devices. The units are identical in operation and only vary in the processing speed.
Approved algorithms (10)
| Algorithm | CAVP certificates |
|---|---|
| AES | 599 |
| AES GCM | 599 |
| DSA | 233 |
| ECDSA | 64 |
| HMAC | 309 |
| RNG | 340 |
| RSA | 274 |
| SHS | 648 |
| Triple-DES | 570 |
| Triple-DES MAC | vendor affirmed |
Other algorithms
ARC FOUR; Aria; Camellia; CAST 6; DES; MD5; SEED; HMAC-MD5, HMAC-Tiger, HMAC-RIPEMD160; RIPEMD 160; Tiger; El-Gamal; KCDSA; HAS 160; Diffie-Hellman (key agreement; key establishment methodology provides between 112 and 256 bits of encryption strength; non-compliant less than 112 bits of encryption strength); EC Diffie-Hellman (key agreement; key establishment methodology provides 192 bits of encryption strength); RSA (key wrapping; key establishment methodology provides between 112 and 256 bits of encryption strength; non-compliant less than 112 bits of encryption strength), ECMQV (key agreement; key establishment methodology provides between 112 and 256 bits of encryption strength; non-compliant less than 112 bits of encryption strength)
Validation history
| Date | Type | Lab |
|---|---|---|
| 2008-06-24 | Initial | DOMUS |
Status timeline
As observed by this tracker's snapshots. NIST publishes no dates for list moves; observation began 2026-08-21, so earlier changes carry no date.
- 2026-08-21: first observed by this tracker, status historical
- Validation dates on record: 2008-06-24