🛡️ FIPS stands for Federal Information Processing Standards—a set of publicly issued guidelines developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to ensure security, interoperability, and consistency in federal computer systems.

🧩 What FIPS Is All About

FIPS standards are used by U.S. government agencies and contractors to:

• Protect sensitive but unclassified data
• Ensure systems can work together across agencies
• Standardize encryption, data formats, and coding systems

🔐 Key Areas of FIPS

Some of the most well-known FIPS standards include:

• FIPS 140-2: Security requirements for cryptographic modules (used in encryption tools)
• FIPS 197: Specifies the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
• FIPS 199: Categorizes information systems by impact level (low, moderate, high)
• FIPS 200: Defines minimum security requirements for federal systems

🏛️ Who Uses FIPS?

• Federal agencies (mandatory for many systems)
• Government contractors
• Private sector organizations that want to align with federal cybersecurity standards

🌐 Beyond Government

While FIPS is mandatory for federal use, many private companies adopt FIPS standards—especially in industries like finance, healthcare, and cloud computing—to meet compliance and security expectations.

FIPS is like the rulebook for secure and standardized tech in the federal space.