Fortezza is an

information security Information security is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of information risk management. It typically involves preventing or reducing the probability of unauthorized or inappropriate access to data ...

system that uses the Fortezza Crypto Card, a

PC Card PC Card is a technical standard specifying an expansion card interface for laptops and personal digital assistants, PDAs. The PCMCIA originally introduced the 16-bit Industry Standard Architecture, ISA-based PCMCIA Card in 1990, but renamed it to ...

-based

security token A security token is a peripheral device used to gain access to an electronically restricted resource. The token is used in addition to, or in place of, a password. Examples of security tokens include wireless key cards used to open locked door ...

. It was developed for the U.S. government's Clipper chip project and has been used by the U.S. Government in various applications. Each individual who is authorized to see protected information is issued a ''Fortezza card'' that stores

private keys Public-key cryptography, or asymmetric cryptography, is the field of cryptographic systems that use pairs of related keys. Each key pair consists of a public key and a corresponding private key. Key pairs are generated with cryptographic alg ...

and other data needed to gain access. It contains an NSA approved security microprocessor called ''

Capstone __NOTOC__ Capstone may refer to: Architecture * Keystone (architecture), also known as a capstone Brands and enterprises * Capstone Investment Advisors, a US investment management firm * Capstone Partners, an investment banking firm * Capstone P ...

'' ( MYK-80) that implements the Skipjack

encryption In Cryptography law, cryptography, encryption (more specifically, Code, encoding) is the process of transforming information in a way that, ideally, only authorized parties can decode. This process converts the original representation of the inf ...

algorithm. The original Fortezza card (KOV-8) is a Type 2 product which means it cannot be used for

classified information Classified information is confidential material that a government deems to be sensitive information which must be protected from unauthorized disclosure that requires special handling and dissemination controls. Access is restricted by law or ...

. The most widely used

Type 1 encryption The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) used to rank cryptographic products or algorithms by a certification called product types. Product types were defined in the National Information Assurance Glossary (CNSSI No. 4009, 2010) which used to define ...

card is the KOV-12 Fortezza card which is used extensively for the

Defense Message System The Defense Message System or Defense Messaging System (DMS) is a deployment of secure electronic mail and directory services in the United States Department of Defense. DMS was intended to replace the Automatic Digital Network, AUTODIN network, a ...

(DMS). The KOV-12 is cleared up to TOP SECRET/SCI. A later version, called

KOV-14 The KOV-14 Fortezza Plus is a US National Security Agency-approved PC card which provides encryption functions and key storage to Secure Terminal Equipment and other devices. It is a tamper-resistant module based on the Mykotronx Krypton chip, in ...

or Fortezza Plus, uses a

Krypton microprocessor Krypton (from 'the hidden one') is a chemical element; it has symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often used with other rare gases in fluorescent lamps. K ...

that implements stronger,

and may be used for information

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

up to TOP SECRET/SCI. It, in turn, is being replaced by the newer

KSV-21 The KSV-21 Enhanced Crypto Card is a US National Security Agency-approved PC card that provides Type 1 encryption functions and key storage to the STE secure telephones and other devices. The KSV-21 was originally built by SafeNet but has sinc ...

PC card with more modern algorithms and additional capabilities. The cards are interchangeable within the many types of equipment that support Fortezza and can be rekeyed and reprogrammed by the owners, making them easy to issue and reuse. This simplifies the process of rekeying equipment for crypto changes: instead of requiring an expensive

fill device A fill device or key loader is a module used to load cryptographic keys into electronic encryption machines. Fill devices are usually hand held and electronic ones are battery operated. Older mechanical encryption systems, such as rotor machine ...

, a technician is able to put a new Fortezza card in the device's PCMCIA slot. The Fortezza Plus card and its successors are used with NSA's

Secure Terminal Equipment Secure Terminal Equipment (STE) is the U.S. government's current (), encrypted telephone communications system for wired or "landline" communications. STE is designed to use ISDN telephone lines which offer higher speeds of up to 128 kbit/s ...

voice and data encryption systems that are replacing the

STU-III STU-III (Secure Telephone Unit - third generation) is a family of secure telephones introduced in 1987 by the NSA for use by the United States government, its contractors, and its allies. STU-III desk units look much like typical office telephon ...

. It is manufactured by the

Mykotronx SafeNet, Inc. was an information security company based in Belcamp, Maryland, United States, which was acquired in August 2014 by the French security company Gemalto. Gemalto was, in turn, acquired by Thales Group in 2019. The former SafeNet's ...

Corporation and by Spyrus. Each card costs about $240 and they are commonly used with card readers sold by Litronic Corporation. The Fortezza card has been used in government, military, and banking applications to protect sensitive data.

References

* * * * * *{{cite book, author=Peter Gutmann, title=Cryptographic security architecture: design and verification, chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MKcaOgrUYoMC&pg=PA236, accessdate=16 February 2012, year=2004, publisher=Springer, location=New York, isbn=978-0-387-95387-8, pages=236–237, chapter=The Capstone/Fortezza Generator

External links

SafeNet web site (Mykotronx is a division of SafeNet)Spyrus web siteLitronic web site
National Security Agency encryption devices