fips_config - OpenSSL FIPS configuration
Contents
Copyright
Copyright 2019-2024 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.
Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use this file except in compliance
with the License. You can obtain a copy in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at
<https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.
3.5.0 2025-06-04 FIPS_CONFIG(5SSL)
Description
A separate configuration file, using the OpenSSL config(5) syntax, is used to hold information about the
FIPS module. This includes a digest of the shared library file, and status about the self-testing. This
data is used automatically by the module itself for two purposes:
- Run the startup FIPS self-test known answer tests (KATS).
This is normally done once, at installation time, but may also be set up to run each time the module
is used.
- Verify the module's checksum.
This is done each time the module is used.
This file is generated by the openssl-fipsinstall(1) program, and used internally by the FIPS module
during its initialization.
The following options are supported. They should all appear in a section whose name is identified by the
fips option in the providers section, as described in "Provider Configuration Module" in config(5).
activate
If present, the module is activated. The value assigned to this name is not significant.
conditional-errors
The FIPS module normally enters an internal error mode if any self test fails. Once this error mode
is active, no services or cryptographic algorithms are accessible from this point on. Continuous
tests are a subset of the self tests (e.g., a key pair test during key generation, or the CRNG output
test). Setting this value to 0 allows the error mode to not be triggered if any continuous test
fails. The default value of 1 will trigger the error mode. Regardless of the value, the operation
(e.g., key generation) that called the continuous test will return an error code if its continuous
test fails. The operation may then be retried if the error mode has not been triggered.
module-mac
The calculated MAC of the FIPS provider file.
install-version
A version number for the fips install process. Should be 1.
install-status
An indicator that the self-tests were successfully run. This should only be written after the module
has successfully passed its self tests during installation. If this field is not present, then the
self tests will run when the module loads.
install-mac
A MAC of the value of the install-status option, to prevent accidental changes to that value. It is
written-to at the same time as install-status is updated.
FIPSindicatoroptions
The following FIPS configuration options indicate if run-time checks related to enforcement of FIPS
security parameters such as minimum security strength of keys and approved curve names are used. A value
of '1' will perform the checks, otherwise if the value is '0' the checks are not performed and FIPS
compliance must be done by procedures documented in the relevant Security Policy.
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) for further information related to these options.
security-checks
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -no_security_checkstls1-prf-ems-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -ems_checkno-short-mac
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -no_short_macdrbg-no-trunc-md
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -no_drbg_truncated_digestssignature-digest-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -signature_digest_checkhkdf-digest-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -hkdf_digest_checktls13-kdf-digest-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -tls13_kdf_digest_checktls1-prf-digest-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -tls1_prf_digest_checksshkdf-digest-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -sshkdf_digest_checksskdf-digest-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -sskdf_digest_checkx963kdf-digest-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -x963kdf_digest_checkdsa-sign-disabled
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -dsa_sign_disabledtdes-encrypt-disabled
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -tdes_encrypt_disabledrsa-pkcs15-pad-disabled
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -rsa_pkcs15_pad_disabledrsa-pss-saltlen-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -rsa_pss_saltlen_checkrsa-sign-x931-pad-disabled
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -rsa_sign_x931_disabledhkdf-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -hkdf_key_checkkbkdf-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -kbkdf_key_checktls13-kdf-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -tls13_kdf_key_checktls1-prf-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -tls1_prf_key_checksshkdf-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -sshkdf_key_checksskdf-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -sskdf_key_checkx963kdf-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -x963kdf_key_checkx942kdf-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -x942kdf_key_checkpbkdf2-lower-bound-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -no_pbkdf2_lower_bound_checkecdh-cofactor-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -ecdh_cofactor_checkhmac-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -hmac_key_checkkmac-key-check
See "OPTIONS" in openssl-fipsinstall(1) -kmac_key_check
For example:
[fips_sect]
activate = 1
install-version = 1
conditional-errors = 1
security-checks = 1
module-mac = 41:D0:FA:C2:5D:41:75:CD:7D:C3:90:55:6F:A4:DC
install-mac = FE:10:13:5A:D3:B4:C7:82:1B:1E:17:4C:AC:84:0C
install-status = INSTALL_SELF_TEST_KATS_RUN
History
This functionality was added in OpenSSL 3.0.
Name
fips_config - OpenSSL FIPS configuration
Notes
When using the FIPS provider, it is recommended that the config_diagnostics option is enabled to prevent
accidental use of non-FIPS validated algorithms via broken or mistaken configuration. See config(5).
See Also
config(5) openssl-fipsinstall(1)
