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Cryptographic Acceleration
Improve SSL performance
nCipher SSL acceleration solutions offload SSL processing to improve speed and free up server capacity, reducing the requirement for additional servers and software to lower overall security infrastructure costs.
Protecting data as it traverses the internet relies in part on the de-facto technology standards, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and its successor Transport Layer Security (TLS). But this process can be extremely processor intensive, consuming valuable server resources and constraining capacity. The impact to organizations that conduct business over the internet can be significant; a customer with expectations of instant response and who has to wait may give up before they place an order, and worse, go to your competitor.
Dedicated hardware offloads processing
Performing SSL purely in software is insecure and inefficient, competing for the same valuable server resources that provide business services. Effective SSL deployments require dedicated hardware that offloads the task of SSL processing. And as organizations rely on SSL to protect more sensitive applications and private information, the need to isolate cryptographic keys from the vulnerable software layer increases.
Advanced SSL security – key management
A comprehensive approach to developing an SSL infrastructure goes beyond considering performance alone. Advanced protection and secure management of the cryptographic keys that underpin the system is critical. Increased performance realized from offloading SSL processing can be combined with FIPS 140-2 validated key management to provide the highest level of information assurance, reducing risk and supporting compliance with regulatory requirements.
The SSL private key is the primary means of proving a server’s identity and is the cryptographic secret used to create unique encrypted sessions for each connection. However, if this private key is stored in a software environment and exposed in server memory it becomes vulnerable to compromise. “Key finding” attacks can put the security of the whole system at risk. Armed with your private key, an intruder can destroy the authenticity and privacy of your secure service -- impersonating a legitimate web site, or hacking data as it crosses the wires to eavesdrop on secure traffic and steal users’ passwords, PINs or other valuable information.
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netHSM