News
Ultra Electronics AEP Announces Encryption Solution for Government Tier-1 Use
January 2015 by Marc Jacob
Ultra Electronics AEP, the provider of trusted security, announces their world-leading Ultra Encrypt Net EB20M, Net EB100M and Net EB Remote VPN and remote access encryptors have been verified by CESG, the UK National Technical Authority for IA, as being suitable to protect data in the “OFFICIAL” classification tier of the Government Security Classification Policy, including “OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE” data.
Ultra Encrypt Net products enable the deployment of VPNs (virtual private networks) to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information in transit. Cryptographic standards are implemented to stringent assurance levels whilst maintaining the flexibility necessary to operate in today’s complex networking environments, making Net EB particularly suitable for OFFICIAL and OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE networks where the threat level is high or where the user’s risk appetite is low.
Net EB series encryptors have been proven in private sector applications for over 10 years and are functionally equivalent to AEP’s Net ED series encryptors, which are widely used across government to protect CONFIDENTIAL data. However, unlike Net ED, Net EB encryptors use public domain algorithms such as AES, and therefore do not need CESG sales authorisation or KPA-sourced key material; this reduces the administrative overhead, increases the speed of deployment and eliminates the need for handling CRYPTO key material.
All Net encryptors are dedicated encryption devices, designed and manufactured in the UK, that employ sophisticated techniques to minimise the attack surface and to deter, detect and defeat even highly-advanced attacks. For example, all data encryption is performed in hardware to prevent bypass; separate processors with specialised real-time operating systems are used on the “red” (plaintext) and “black” (ciphertext) ports for domain isolation and to prevent data leakage; the cryptographic functions are continuously self-tested to ensure they are working as designed; a hardware entropy source is used to provide true random numbers; and there is an array of anti-tamper mechanisms to safeguard against physical and environmental attack.
AEP offers three models in the Net EB range, designed to integrate into existing IP networks seamlessly. The Net EB20M and Net EB100M are IPsec VPN gateway devices, whilst the Net EB Remote is designed specifically for mobile and home workers who need to access highly-sensitive applications and data over the Internet. These are all supported by a sophisticated centralised management platform, including AEP’s unique hardware Net CA (Certification Authority), which minimises key handling requirements and eliminates the need for any local encryptor management.
