PostgreSQL must implement NIST FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 validated cryptographic modules to protect unclassified information requiring confidentiality and cryptographic protection, in accordance with the data owner’s requirements.

Severity	Group ID	Group Title	Version	Rule ID	Date	STIG Version
high	V-233585	SRG-APP-000514-DB-000383	CD12-00-008200	SV-233585r961857_rule	2024-08-27	3

Description
Use of weak or untested encryption algorithms undermines the purposes of utilizing encryption to protect data. The application must implement cryptographic modules adhering to the higher standards approved by the federal government since this provides assurance they have been tested and validated. It is the responsibility of the data owner to assess the cryptography requirements in light of applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, and standards. For detailed information, refer to NIST FIPS Publication 140-2 or Publication 140-3, Security Requirements For Cryptographic Modules. Note that the product's cryptographic modules must be validated and certified by NIST as FIPS-compliant.

Description

Use of weak or untested encryption algorithms undermines the purposes of utilizing encryption to protect data. The application must implement cryptographic modules adhering to the higher standards approved by the federal government since this provides assurance they have been tested and validated. It is the responsibility of the data owner to assess the cryptography requirements in light of applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, and standards. For detailed information, refer to NIST FIPS Publication 140-2 or Publication 140-3, Security Requirements For Cryptographic Modules. Note that the product's cryptographic modules must be validated and certified by NIST as FIPS-compliant.

ℹ️ Check
First, as the system administrator, run the following to see if FIPS is enabled: $ cat /proc/sys/crypto/fips_enabled If fips_enabled is not "1", this is a finding.

✔️ Fix
If fips_enabled = 0, configure OpenSSL to be FIPS compliant. Configure per operating system documentation: RedHat: https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/security_guide/chap-federal_standards_and_regulations Ubuntu: https://security-certs.docs.ubuntu.com/en/fips For information on configuring PostgreSQL to use SSL, see supplementary content APPENDIX-G.