What are SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7 and Thales Luna Network HSM 7?

What is Network HSM

We will dive into the world of Luna Network HSM 7. You can explore its capabilities and the two options available: SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7 and Thales Luna Network HSM 7. Also, discover how these solutions enhance security and protect your cryptographic keys.

Current Updates on Hardware Security Module

According to the new requirements, the Certificate Authority (CA) must issue or store these certificates on preconfigured hardware. The hardware device must meet specific security standards such as FIPS 140 Level 2, Common Criteria EAL 4+, or equivalent standards.

These hardware-based requirements already apply to Extended Validation (EV) certificates. However, their implementation can pose challenges, particularly in automated build environments.

In the blog post mentioned, we intend to delve into the issues associated with hardware-based certificates and provide potential workarounds to overcome these challenges.

What is a Network HSM?

Network-attached Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) are specialized devices that store cryptographic keys and perform cryptographic operations securely. These hardware devices are typically connected to a network infrastructure, allowing them to be accessed remotely by multiple systems or applications.

Recommended: What is a Hardware Security Module? Role of HSMs for Digital Signing

Network-attached HSMs provide a secure and centralized platform for an organization’s key management and cryptographic functions. They offer tamper-resistant hardware protection, strong access controls, and encryption mechanisms to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of cryptographic operations.

It connects to a network infrastructure, allowing it to be accessed remotely by multiple systems or applications. This connectivity enables centralized key management and cryptographic operations across an organization, making it an ideal solution for enterprises with distributed infrastructure or cloud-based environments.

SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7

SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7

SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7, developed by Gemalto (a Thales company), is a leading choice for organizations seeking robust security and high-performance key management.

It offers a wide range of features and capabilities, including:

High-Security Architecture:

SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7 employs advanced security mechanisms to protect cryptographic keys and prevent unauthorized access. It includes physical tamper-proofing, secure boot, role-based access control, and more.

FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certification:

This certification ensures compliance with strict security standards and regulatory requirements, making SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7 a trusted solution for industries such as finance, government, healthcare, and beyond.

Scalability and Flexibility:

SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7 is designed to accommodate the evolving needs of organizations. It offers flexible deployment options, including high availability (HA) and load balancing configurations, to ensure seamless integration into various infrastructures.

What is Luna Network HSM 7?

Luna Network HSM 7 is a state-of-the-art hardware security module designed to securely safeguard cryptographic keys and perform cryptographic operations.

It offers a highly secure and tamper-resistant environment for key management and cryptographic functions, providing organizations with peace of mind and ensuring compliance with stringent security standards.

Thales Luna Network HSM 7

Thales Luna Network HSM 7

Thales Luna Network HSM 7, another notable option, builds upon the renowned Luna product line’s legacy and enhances it with cutting-edge features.

Some key highlights of Thales Luna Network HSM 7 are as follows:

Uncompromising Security:

Thales Luna Network HSM 7 incorporates robust security measures to protect cryptographic keys and sensitive data from potential threats. It offers secure firmware updates, tamper detection, and response mechanisms to counteract physical attacks.

Standard Criteria EAL 4+ Certification:

This certification further validates Thales Luna Network HSM 7’s security capabilities, ensuring compliance with stringent international standards.

Performance and Scalability:

Thales Luna Network HSM 7 delivers exceptional performance, enabling rapid cryptographic operations and reducing latency. It is highly scalable, easily accommodating the demands of modern enterprise environments.

Features and Benefits of Thales Luna Network HSM

Thales Luna Network HSM (Hardware Security Module) offers a comprehensive approach to essential security and benefits organizations. Here are the key features and advantages:

Keys in Hardware Approach:

Thales Luna Network HSM protects the entire lifecycle of cryptographic keys within its FIPS 140-2 validated hardware boundaries. Unlike other methods that move keys to a “trusted layer,” Thales Luna ensures that keys remain within the HSM, benefiting from physical and logical protections. This approach enhances fundamental security and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access or compromise.

Market-Leading Performance:

Luna Network HSM 7 is designed for high-performance use cases like SSL/TLS key protection and high-volume code signing. It offers faster speeds than other HSMs in the market, enabling organizations to efficiently handle cryptographic operations without sacrificing performance.

Scalable Security for Virtual and Cloud Environments:

Thales Luna Network HSM allows organizations to partition a single HSM into 100 cryptographically isolated partitions. Each partition operates as an independent HSM, enabling scalability and flexibility for managing cryptographic key lifecycles across multiple applications.

This capability is advantageous in virtualized and cloud environments, where a single HSM can serve the needs of multiple tenants and appliances.

Ease of Use with Centralized Crypto Resources:

Thales Crypto Command Center simplifies the administration of multiple HSMs by providing centralized control for provisioning and monitoring crypto resources. This streamlines management tasks and enhances operational efficiency.

Cloud Deployment and Compatibility:

Thales Luna Network HSMs are widely deployed in public cloud environments, making them the de facto standard in the cloud. They offer the flexibility to meet cryptographic performance requirements in various environments, including on-premises, private, public, hybrid, and multi-cloud setups.

Extensive Partner Ecosystem:

Thales Luna Network HSMs have the largest ecosystem of partners, ensuring compatibility and integration with a wide range of standard applications. This allows organizations to quickly secure their systems and leverage existing integrations with Thales Luna Network HSMs.

Internet of Things (IoT) Support:

Thales Luna Network HSM is equipped to protect against evolving threats and support emerging technologies like IoT and blockchain. Their robust features and product offerings enable organizations to embrace these technologies securely.

Compliance and Regulatory Support:

Thales Luna Network HSMs help organizations meet compliance and audit requirements for various industry standards. It includes GDPR, eIDAS, FIPS 140, Common Criteria, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. This makes them suitable for highly regulated finance, healthcare, and government industries.

By leveraging the Thales Luna Network HSM, organizations can benefit from robust key security, high performance, scalability, ease of use, cloud compatibility, and compliance support across various applications and industries.

Advantages of Thales Luna Network HSM 7

Luna Network HSM 7 offers superior performance, delivering impressive benefits for organizations. Here are the key advantages:

Unmatched Speed:

Luna Network HSM 7 is the fastest HSM available, capable of handling over 20,000 elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) and 10,000 RSA operations per second. This high-performance capability is precious for use cases that require intensive cryptographic operations, ensuring efficient and timely execution.

Lower Latency:

Luna Network HSM 7 boasts reduced latency, improving operational efficiency. The lower latency ensures quicker response times, enabling organizations to optimize their cryptographic processes and achieve faster results.

Luna 7 HSM Security Highlights

FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Validation:

Luna Network HSM 7 ensures the highest level of security by keeping keys within tamper-evident hardware that complies with FIPS 140-2 Level 3 standards. This validation confirms that the HSM meets rigorous security requirements and safeguards cryptographic operations against physical tampering.

Secure Transport Mode:

The HSM employs a secure transport mode to ensure the high-assurance delivery of cryptographic keys. This secure mode protects against unauthorized access or interception during crucial exchange processes.

De Facto Standard for the Cloud:

Luna Network HSM 7 has become the industry-standard HSM for cloud environments. Its widespread adoption in public cloud setups makes it a trusted and recognized solution for securing cryptographic operations in various cloud-based applications.

Strong Separation of Duties:

The HSM supports multiple roles, enabling organizations to implement a strong separation of duties. This ensures that different individuals or teams have distinct responsibilities and access levels, enhancing security by minimizing the risk of unauthorized actions.

Multi-Person M-of-N with Multi-Factor Authentication:

Luna Network HSM 7 supports multi-person M-of-N operations with multi-factor authentication, adding an extra layer of security. This feature ensures that critical cryptographic operations require the involvement of multiple authorized individuals, preventing single points of failure or unauthorized access.

Secure Audit Logging:

The HSM provides secure audit logging capabilities, allowing organizations to monitor and track all cryptographic activities. The detailed audit logs facilitate compliance audits, forensic analysis, and incident response, ensuring accountability and providing a valuable security measure.

Remote Management:

Luna Network HSM 7 allows remote management, enabling efficient administration and control of the HSMs across distributed environments. This feature simplifies maintenance tasks and facilitates centralized management of cryptographic resources.

Multi-Part Splits:

The HSM supports multi-part splits for all access control keys, enhancing access control security. This feature ensures that different key components are distributed among authorized personnel or systems, preventing unauthorized key usage.

Robust Cryptographic Algorithms:

Luna Network HSM 7 supports the strongest cryptographic algorithms, including Suite B algorithm standards. This enables organizations to benefit from robust encryption and cryptographic operations, ensuring the highest level of data protection.

Secure Decommissioning:

The HSM provides secure decommissioning mechanisms, allowing organizations to safely retire or dispose of HSM units while protecting cryptographic keys and data.

What is a Cloud HSM?

Cloud HSM

Cloud HSMs, or Hardware Security Modules as a Service (HSMaaS), are HSM devices offered by cloud service providers. These HSMs are hosted and managed in the cloud, providing a convenient and scalable solution for organizations that require secure key management and cryptographic services.

Cloud HSMs offer the same security and functionality as physical HSMs but eliminate the need for on-premises hardware infrastructure. They allow organizations to leverage HSM capabilities in a cloud environment, enabling secure cryptographic operations and key storage for cloud-based applications and services.

Wrapping up

As organizations grapple with increasing cybersecurity challenges, Luna 7 HSM emerges as a powerful solution for safeguarding digital assets. Whether you choose SafeNet Luna Network HSM 7 or Thales Luna Network HSM 7, you can rest assured knowing that you have chosen a reliable and highly secure hardware security module.

By leveraging these network HSMs, organizations can establish a robust foundation for cryptographic key management, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of their sensitive data in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.

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Janki Mehta

Janki Mehta is a Cyber-Security Enthusiast who constantly updates herself with new advancements in the Web/Cyber Security niche. Along with theoretical knowledge, she also implements her practical expertise in day-to-day tasks and helps others to protect themselves from threats.

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