FIPS 140-3

If you are responsible for procuring secure storage for your organisation, you will have come across the term FIPS 140-3. But what does it actually mean, why does it matter, and how do you know whether a product genuinely meets the standard? This guide explains it clearly, without the jargon.

What Is FIPS 140-3?

FIPS stands for Federal Information Processing Standard. It is a US government standard published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that defines requirements for cryptographic modules used to protect sensitive information. The current version, FIPS 140-3, replaces the earlier FIPS 140-2 standard and introduces stricter physical and logical security requirements.

FIPS 140-3 has four security levels. Level 1 is the most basic. Level 3, which is the certification held by the iStorage diskAshur3 range, requires physical tamper-evidence, identity-based authentication, and additional resistance to physical probing. Level 4 is the highest level and is typically reserved for the most sensitive government applications.

Why Does FIPS 140-3 Level 3 Matter for Business?

For many organisations, FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certification is not optional. Government contractors, defence suppliers, healthcare organisations, and financial services firms are often required by regulation or contract to use certified encrypted storage. Beyond compliance, FIPS 140-3 Level 3 gives procurement teams confidence that a product has been independently tested and validated, not just self-certified by the manufacturer.

It also simplifies data breach risk. If an encrypted device is lost or stolen and the encryption meets FIPS 140-3 Level 3, the likelihood of the data being compromised is negligible. This directly supports your obligations under GDPR and other data protection legislation.

What Is Common Criteria EAL 5+?

Common Criteria is an international framework for evaluating the security of IT products, recognised across the UK, US, EU, and many other regions. The Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) runs from EAL 1 to EAL 7. EAL 5+ is a high level of assurance, indicating that the product has been formally designed and tested against a detailed security target. Very few consumer or enterprise storage products reach this level.

The iStorage diskAshur3 holds both FIPS 140-3 Level 3 and Common Criteria EAL 5+ certification, which together represent some of the most rigorous independent security validation available for portable storage devices.

Hardware Encryption vs Software Encryption

Many storage devices rely on software-based encryption, where the encryption process runs on the host computer. This approach has weaknesses: software can be bypassed, updated insecurely, or compromised by malware on the host machine. Hardware encryption, by contrast, is performed on a dedicated chip within the device itself. The host computer never sees unencrypted data, and the encryption keys never leave the device.

The diskAshur3 uses AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption. This means every byte written to the drive is encrypted in real time by the onboard processor, with no dependency on the host system. The drive will not unlock without the correct PIN, regardless of which computer it is connected to.

GDPR and Encrypted Storage

Under GDPR, organisations must implement appropriate technical measures to protect personal data. If a device containing personal data is lost or stolen and the data was stored in encrypted form, the incident may not constitute a reportable breach, depending on the strength of the encryption and the circumstances. Using a FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certified device significantly strengthens your position when documenting your data protection measures or responding to a regulatory enquiry.

The iStorage diskAshur3 is explicitly GDPR and TAA compliant, making it a straightforward choice for compliance-driven procurement decisions.

Choosing the Right Capacity for Your Team

The diskAshur3 is available in 512GB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB capacities. For most professional users carrying working files, presentations, and documents, 512GB is a practical choice. Teams working with large media files, engineering data, or database backups may need 2TB or more. For organisations deploying secure storage at scale, Origin Storage can advise on the right capacity mix for your use case.

Where to Buy the iStorage diskAshur3 in the UK

Origin Storage supplies the full iStorage diskAshur3 SSD range across all capacities and colours, with free delivery and easy returns on every order. Whether you are equipping a single executive or rolling out secure portable storage across a team, Origin Storage offers competitive pricing and reliable dispatch. Browse the iStorage diskAshur3 range at Origin Storage to find the right option for your organisation.

Summary

FIPS 140-3 Level 3 and Common Criteria EAL 5+ are the benchmarks to look for when procuring encrypted portable storage for sensitive environments. The iStorage diskAshur3 SSD meets both standards and adds PIN-based authentication, GDPR compliance, and hardware-level AES-XTS 256-bit encryption. For organisations that need to demonstrate due diligence in data protection, it is one of the strongest options on the market.