FMV - new high speed encrypto
The Swedish Armed Forces are to cut the speeds involved in sending confidential information over their network. When sensitive information is sent between different armed forces units and the authorities, it is encrypted. The need for this has been rendered particularly clear with the increase in frequency of hacking attempts on companies and organisations. Currently, encryption at the highest security level runs at 155 Mb/s. This is a long way from the transmission rates of one gigabit that today’s networks deliver.
“There has long been a need to increase encryption speeds,” says Kjell Albiin, product manager for encryption equipment at FMV.
The contract to produce a new high-speed encryptor went to the company Sectra. 2012 is when the new encryptor units that can work at speeds up to 10 Gb/s are due. This represents a 64-fold increase in speed. The units are to be installed in high-speed links that interconnect different parts of the Armed Forces’ network.
Combitech has been assigned to verify that the security of the new high-speed encryptor meets the requirements made of it, ensuring it is almost impossible to crack.
“We follow an extremely precise working method where as many aspects as possible are included in verifying security,” says project manager Åsa Lindskog at Combitech. This includes everything from project and technical support, and drawing up test specifications to authorisation documentation within the Armed Forces’ approval process, as well as functional and system testing, evaluation according to common criteria and the production of maintenance manuals.
In Combitech’s view, being given the opportunity to collaborate in developing the new encryptor is a great challenge.