Apricorn gains FIPS 140-3 validation for ASK3 drive

Apricorn has received FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validation for its Aegis Secure Key 3.0, the first product in its portfolio to be certified under the latest Federal Information Processing Standards regime.

Issued through the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Cryptographic Module Validation Program, the validation applies to the cryptographic module used in the Aegis Secure Key 3.0, also known as ASK3. It marks Apricorn's shift from earlier FIPS 140-2 certifications, eight of which cover much of its encrypted storage range.

FIPS validation is a procurement requirement in many parts of the US federal market and is also used as a benchmark by contractors and organisations handling sensitive information. Level 3 covers areas including physical security, identity-based authentication, cryptographic key management and environmental failure protection.

That makes the ASK3 relevant not only to federal agencies, but also to users in defence, aerospace, healthcare, finance, legal services and digital forensics that need independently tested encryption products. The device is intended to secure data at rest and in transit between endpoints, remote sites and air-gapped systems.

Apricorn's latest certification is notable because FIPS 140-3 is the current generation of the standard and has replaced FIPS 140-2 for new validations. Vendors across the data security market have been working through the transition as products are retested against updated requirements.

Jeanclaude Toma, Chief Executive Officer at Apricorn, described the validation as both a product milestone and the start of a broader certification effort across the company's line-up.

"Receiving FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validation for the ASK3 is a major milestone for us and for the customers who depend and standardise on Apricorn to protect their most sensitive data," Toma said. "We designed the product around the latest NIST standards from the beginning, then took it through demanding independent testing and review processes with no revisions or resubmissions. The result is a portable drive that gives federal agencies, defence contractors and regulated organisations independent assurance that its core security controls perform as intended. This is also the first step in bringing FIPS 140-3 validation across our broader portfolio."

Product details

The Aegis Secure Key 3.0 is a portable encrypted storage device in the form factor of a USB flash drive. It uses a mini solid-state drive architecture and offers capacities of up to 4TB.

The product's security design centres on an onboard keypad, which keeps user authentication separate from the host computer. Data written to the drive is protected by 256-bit AES XTS hardware encryption, with no software required on the endpoint system.

The unit also includes a tamper-resistant outer casing and is designed to operate across different operating systems and environments. Those features matter in sectors where removable media may need to move between managed networks, isolated machines and field locations.

Apricorn also highlighted an integrated environmental protection circuit, which shuts the drive down before temperature or voltage conditions move beyond safe operating ranges. The aim is to prevent hardware damage and preserve access to stored data once conditions return to normal.

The feature aligns with one of the areas covered by FIPS 140-3 at Level 3, where environmental failure protection forms part of the standard's requirements. In practical terms, it addresses the risk that equipment deployed in harsh settings could fail in a way that affects both hardware integrity and data availability.

Capacity and speed

Alongside the certification news, Apricorn pointed to changes in the latest version of the ASK3 compared with the previous model. The updated device has write speeds nearly 20% faster than the earlier version and doubles maximum capacity from 2TB to 4TB.

Kurt Markley, Vice President of Sales at Apricorn, linked those changes to customer requirements around security and storage size.

"The previous version of the ASK3 was already the fastest hardware encrypted memory key on the market, and this re-engineered version has write speeds that are nearly 20 per cent faster," Markley said. "At the same time, we were able to double our industry-leading 2TB size to 4TB, which is approximately eight times the capacity of its nearest competitor. With the FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validation, customers have a product that ticks all of the necessary security, compliance and performance boxes they need."

The certification gives Apricorn an updated compliance credential at a time when demand for validated encryption remains tied to government purchasing rules and broader scrutiny of data handling in regulated sectors. The ASK3 is available through the company's global network of authorised resellers.