Apple's iPhone might see wider adoption in government use, thanks to the recent validation of a cryptographic module for iOS.
NIST Computer Security Division
Last week saw the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Computer Security Division ( TUAW) to Apple iOS CoreCrypto Kernel Module v3.0. The Division tested the cryptographic module on an iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPad running iOS 6.0.
"Apple iOS CoreCrypto Kernel Module is a software cryptographic module running on a multi-chip standalone mobile device and provides services intended to protect data in transit and at rest," the division's report reads.
The iOS module met Level 1 of Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2, the lowest level of security, as it has no required physical security components beyond the standard production-grade iPhone components.
FIPS approval could open a path to wider adoption of the iPhone in government operations. The Department of Defense already to approving devices running iOS 6 for use within its operations after conducting its own separate evaluation of the technology.