wolfCrypt Examples for Renesas RH850

The RH850 Family of 32-bit automotive microcontrollers (MCUs) is an automotive microcontroller equipped with an integrated Hardware Security Module (HSM). It ensures fast and secure key management, cryptographic processing, and authentication at the hardware level. Designed for next-generation ECUs, it combines functional safety with advanced security.

wolfSSL has now provided a wolfCrypt use case on Renesas RH850 using Renesas CS+ in our wolfSSL Examples GitHub repository. The Github repository contains client and server examples that set up and test various types of connections. In addition to these clients/servers, we have included examples that demonstrate how to build wolfSSL with specific real time operating systems and TCP/IP stacks for embedded systems and devices, and how to use some features of the library like the certificate manager or wolfCrypt’s public-key functionality.

This time, we added the RSAPSS-Sign-Verify program to the repository. You can find <wolfssl-examples>/Renesas/cs+/RH850/rsapss_sign_verify in the repository. The program is a ready-to-run Renesas CS+ program for RH850. Please follow REAME in <wolfssl-examples>/Renesas/cs+/RH850/, then you can easily enjoy RSA Sign/Verify on your device. We will add more examples in the future.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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MD5 Disabled by Default in wolfSSL: What You Need to Know

As part of our ongoing effort to deliver secure-by-default cryptography, wolfSSL has disabled the MD5 hash algorithm by default in the latest release. Don’t worry, it isn’t going away completely, but just disabled at compile time, by default.

Why Disable MD5?

MD5 has been considered cryptographically broken for many years due to known collision attacks. While it’s still used in legacy systems for non-security-critical purposes, it no longer meets modern security standards. Disabling MD5 by default aligns wolfSSL with best practices and further hardens applications that rely on us for secure communications, and has already been done in FIPS builds of wolfSSL.

What Changed?

MD5 is now disabled by default in the master branch of wolfSSL. We expect this default behavior to be in release 5.8.2 and up. If your application or any third-party dependency attempts to use MD5 without explicitly enabling it, you may encounter build or runtime issues such as:

  • Compilation errors involving wc_InitMd5() or other MD5 functions
  • Protocol negotiation failures if MD5 is assumed as a supported digest (e.g., in TLS 1.0/1.1 or some legacy certificate chains)
  • Unexpected behavior in libraries that rely on MD5 internally but don’t check if it’s available

You can check if MD5 is disabled in your configuration by seeing if NO_MD5 is set at compile time.

How to Re-Enable MD5 (If Needed)

If you’re working in a legacy environment or need MD5 for interoperability reasons, you can explicitly re-enable MD5 support by doing the following.

Builds using autotools:

./configure --enable-md5

Builds using cmake:

mkdir -p build
cd build
cmake .. -DNO_MD5=OFF

We strongly encourage you to audit any use of MD5 in your project before re-enabling it. If it’s being used for digital signatures or certificate verification, consider updating to SHA-256 or stronger algorithms.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfssl.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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A2A and wolfSSL

Here at wolfSSL, we are seeing a lot of interest in AI. Some of the most fascinating developments that are happening are around letting different AI agents communicate with each other. Do those communications need to be secured, authenticated, and integrity checked? Of course!

Enter the A2A (Agent2Agent) protocol, which uses HTTPS as its primary transport layer.

Check out the official A2A protocol implementation links:

How can wolfSSL help in this endeavor? Well, it is looking like the government is going to be one of the biggest consumers of AI technology, with a fast and agile uptake of AI technology. If they are going to need cryptography to protect this protocol, it had better be FIPS 140-3 certified! Did we mention our FIPS 140-3 certificate #4718?

This shows the chain of dependencies from the A2A reference library down to the OpenSSL library, which provides the underlying cryptographic functionality:

A2A Reference Library → httpx → httpcore → ssl (Python module) → OpenSSL

We can add wolfProvider and wolfCrypt FIPS to that to bring it into compliance so the government can use it! It would look like this:

A2A Reference Library → httpx → httpcore → ssl (Python module) → OpenSSL → wolfProviderwolfCrypt FIPS

For extra performance, another option would be to do an integration with wolfssl-py; our python wrapper for wolfSSL.

Interested in seeing this happen? We are! Let us know if you’re interested!

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfssl.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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wolfSSL Expands Embedded Security with HighTec Compiler and RTOS Support

The embedded systems landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with developers demanding robust security solutions that seamlessly integrate with their preferred development tools and real-time operating systems. Today, we’re excited to announce that wolfSSL’s comprehensive security suite will support the HighTec compiler and RTOS, bringing enterprise-grade cryptographic capabilities to even more embedded applications.

Comprehensive Security for HighTec Environments

This new support will encompass our complete security ecosystem:

  • wolfSSL – Our flagship TLS/SSL library can compile cleanly with HighTec’s advanced optimization features, ensuring minimal memory footprint while maintaining maximum security. Whether you’re building IoT devices, industrial controllers, or automotive systems, wolfSSL delivers the cryptographic protocols you need with the performance HighTec users expect.
  • wolfBoot – Secure boot has never been more critical for embedded systems. Our wolfBoot secure bootloader will integrate seamlessly with HighTec-compiled applications, providing verified boot processes that protect against firmware tampering and ensure only authenticated code executes on your devices. The combination of HighTec’s efficient code generation and wolfBoot’s security features creates a powerful foundation for trustworthy embedded systems.
  • wolfHSM – Hardware Security Module functionality comes to HighTec environments through wolfHSM, enabling secure key storage, cryptographic operations, and hardware-based root of trust. This integration will allow developers to leverage dedicated security hardware while maintaining the development workflow they know and trust.

Why This Matters

The HighTec compiler family has long been trusted by embedded developers for its superior code optimization and comprehensive target support. By adding native wolfSSL support, we’re eliminating the integration barriers that previously required custom porting efforts. This means:

  • Faster Time to Market: No more wrestling with compiler-specific adaptations
  • Optimized Performance: HighTec’s advanced optimizations will work seamlessly with our security libraries
  • Reduced Risk: Proven security implementations without the uncertainty of custom ports
  • Future-Proof: Ongoing support ensures compatibility with future HighTec releases

Real-World Impact

Consider an industrial automation system running on a HighTec-supported microcontroller. With this new support, developers can now implement:

  • Secure communication channels using wolfSSL’s TLS 1.3 implementation
  • Verified boot sequences through wolfBoot integration
  • Hardware-backed key management via wolfHSM

All while leveraging HighTec’s industry-leading code optimization and debugging capabilities.

Looking Forward

This expansion represents more than just another compiler target – it’s part of our ongoing commitment to making robust security accessible across the entire embedded ecosystem. As embedded systems become increasingly connected and critical to our daily lives, having trusted security solutions that work with your preferred tools becomes essential.

The combination of HighTec’s development excellence and wolfSSL’s security expertise opens new possibilities for secure embedded applications. Whether you’re protecting industrial control systems, securing IoT deployments, or building the next generation of connected devices, this integration provides the foundation you need.

Ready to explore what wolfSSL can do in your HighTec environment? Contact our team to learn more about implementation strategies, performance optimizations, and best practices for your specific use case.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfssl.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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wolfPKCS11 Supercharged: 42 New Mechanisms and Full NSS Backend Support Unleashes FIPS Crypto

The wolfSSL team is thrilled to announce a monumental update to wolfPKCS11, now available in the master branch on GitHub. This release transforms wolfPKCS11 into a premier, high-performance PKCS#11 provider by incorporating an incredible 42 new cryptographic mechanisms and 8 new API functions. This focused engineering effort enables wolfPKCS11 to serve as a complete and robust backend for Mozilla’s Network Security Services (NSS).

This achievement makes our vision from the “Firefox Gets FIPS 140-3 Power” post a production-ready reality. Now, any application using NSS—including Firefox, Thunderbird, and Linux server products—can be powered by our FIPS 140-3 validated wolfCrypt engine, bringing federally certified security and our signature performance and efficiency to the entire NSS ecosystem.

The Strategic Advantage: FIPS-Powered NSS

PKCS#11 is the industry-standard API for communicating with cryptographic hardware and software modules. NSS uses a PKCS#11 module to perform all its cryptographic operations. Our update provides the comprehensive support NSS requires, allowing wolfPKCS11 to act as a “drop-in” bridge to our wolfCrypt engine.

This integration provides a simple and efficient pathway to FIPS compliance for organizations in regulated industries. Instead of complex and costly application overhauls, using wolfPKCS11 with a FIPS-validated wolfCrypt backend becomes a straightforward configuration change, saving immense time and resources.

Feature Highlights: A New Level of Capability

The 42 new mechanisms expand wolfPKCS11’s capabilities to cover the full spectrum of modern cryptographic needs. Key additions include:

  • Modern Signatures: Support for the modern and provably secure RSA-PSS signature schemes (CKM_SHA256_RSA_PKCS_PSS, etc.), which are more resilient against cryptographic attacks than older standards.
  • Advanced Key Derivation: The inclusion of the HMAC-based Key Derivation Function (HKDF) and specific TLS and NSS mechanisms allows applications to offload their entire TLS key schedule to a FIPS-certified boundary.
  • Comprehensive Algorithm Support: A full suite of SHA-2 and SHA-3 hashing algorithms, along with advanced AES capabilities like CKM_AES_KEY_WRAP_PAD for secure key management, ensures broad compatibility and robust security.

In addition to new mechanisms, the 8 new API functions provide developers with advanced control for sophisticated applications. Functions like C_GetOperationState and C_SetOperationState allow for saving and restoring the progress of cryptographic operations, which is critical for resilience in embedded systems. Others, like C_VerifyRecover, add support for specialized signature schemes, ensuring comprehensive standards compliance.

Quality, Reliability, and Getting Started

This release is reinforced by significant under-the-hood improvements. A new –enable-nss compile-time option streamlines integration, and our vastly improved CI pipeline now includes extensive regression testing against the NSS suite, static analysis, and dynamic sanitizers to guarantee stability. We’ve also included numerous fixes for TPM users and improved the handling of object attributes for greater security and reliability.

The latest updates transform wolfPKCS11 into a fully-featured, highly reliable, and FIPS-capable PKCS#11 implementation. It is now uniquely positioned to bring the industry-leading performance and certified security of wolfCrypt to the entire ecosystem of applications built on NSS.

Developers are encouraged to explore these powerful new features, which are available now on the master branch of the official wolfPKCS11 GitHub repository. For hands-on examples of how to use wolfPKCS11 with NSS, please see our dedicated examples repository.

For any technical questions, please reach out to us at support@wolfssl.com. For inquiries related to FIPS 140-3 validation, commercial licensing, or questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfssl.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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wolfSSL 5.8.2 Now Available

wolfSSL 5.8.2 is now available! We are excited to announce the release of wolfSSL 5.8.2, packed with significant enhancements, introducing new functionalities, and refining existing features!

Important Notes for this Release

  • GPLv3 Licensing: wolfSSL has transitioned from GPLv2 to GPLv3.
  • Deprecated Feature: `–enable-heapmath` is now deprecated.
  • MD5 Disabled by Default: For enhanced security, MD5 is now disabled by default.

Key Highlights of wolfSSL 5.8.2

Vulnerability Mitigations:

  • ECC and Ed25519 Fault Injection Mitigation (Low): (Thanks to Kevin from Fraunhofer AISEC)
  • Apple Native Cert Validation Override (High – CVE-2025-7395): (Thanks to Thomas Leong from ExpressVPN)
  • Predictable `RAND_bytes()` after `fork()` (Medium – CVE-2025-7394): (Thanks to Per Allansson from Appgate)
  • Curve25519 Blinding Enabled by Default (Low – CVE-2025-7396): (Thanks to Arnaud Varillon, Laurent Sauvage, and Allan Delautre from Telecom Paris)

New Features:

  • Sniffer Enhancements: Support for multiple sessions and a new `ssl_RemoveSession()` API for cleanup.
  • New ASN.1 X509 API: `wc_GetSubjectPubKeyInfoDerFromCert` for retrieving public key information.
  • PKCS#12 Improvements: `wc_PKCS12_create()` now supports PBE_AES(256|128)_CBC key and certificate encryptions.
  • PKCS#7 Decoding: Added `wc_PKCS7_DecodeEncryptedKeyPackage()` for decoding encrypted key packages.
  • Linux Kernel Module Expansion: All AES, SHA, and HMAC functionality now implemented within the Linux Kernel Module.
  • OpenSSL Compatibility Layer Additions: New APIs for X.509 extensions and RSA PSS: `i2d_PrivateKey_bio`, `BN_ucmp`, and `X509v3_get_ext_by_NID`.
  • Platform Support: Added support for STM32N6.
  • Assembly Optimizations: Implemented SHA-256 for PPC 32 assembly.

Improvements & Optimizations:

This release includes a wide range of improvements across various categories, including:

  • Extensive Linux Kernel Module (LinuxKM) Enhancements: Numerous minor fixes, registrations, and optimizations for cryptography operations within the Linux Kernel Module.
  • Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) & Asymmetric Algorithms: Updates to Kyber, backward compatibility for ML_KEM IDs, fixes for LMS building and parameters, and OpenSSL format support for ML-DSA/Dilithium.
  • Build System & Portability: General build configuration fixes, improvements for older GCC versions, new CMakePresets, and default MD5 disabling.
  • Testing & Debugging: Enhanced debugging output, additional unit tests for increased code coverage, and improved benchmark help options.
  • Certificates & ASN.1: Improved handling of X509 extensions, fixed printing of empty names, and better error handling.
  • TLS/DTLS & Handshake: Corrected group handling, improved DTLS record processing, and refined TLS 1.3 key derivation.
  • Memory Management & Optimizations: Stack refactors, improved stack size with MLKEM and Dilithium, and heap math improvements.
  • Cryptography & Hash Functions: Added options to disable assembly optimizations for SipHash and SHA3, and improved Aarch64 XFENCE.
  • Platform-Specific & Hardware Integration: Explicit support for ESP32P4, public `wc_tsip_*` APIs, and enhanced PlatformIO certificate bundle support.
  • General Improvements & Refactoring: Updated libspdm, fixed PEM key formatting, and improved API accessibility for certificate failure callbacks.

wolfSSL 5.8.2 also includes some nice bug fixes, addressing issues across various modules, ensuring greater stability and reliability. For a complete and detailed list of all changes, please refer to the full release notes.

We encourage all users to upgrade to wolfSSL 5.8.2 to take advantage of these important security updates, new features, and performance enhancements. Download the latest release.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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Trusted by Design: How wolfSSL and Dark Sky Technology Came Together

How wolfSSL and Dark Sky Technology Secure Embedded Systems

When defense systems run open-source code touched by foreign adversaries, it’s not just risky—it’s a national security threat. That’s why wolfSSL and Dark Sky Technology teamed up: to combine certifiable cryptography with provable trust.

wolfSSL builds the most trusted cryptography on the market. Our lightweight, FIPS 140-3 validated wolfCrypt library secures everything from satellites to submarines—where performance, footprint, and reliability are non-negotiable. We support secure boot, secure firmware updates, and full (D)TLS 1.3, all engineered to meet the toughest standards like DO-178C DAL A and CNSA 2.0.

Dark Sky Technology defends America’s most critical systems from hidden threats in open-source software. Their platform, Bulletproof Trust, gives defense contractors and government agencies confidence in the integrity of their code by analyzing every risk vector:

  • Contributors (who touched it)
  • Vulnerabilities (what’s exposed)
  • Licenses (what’s legal)
  • Maintainability, code quality, and hygiene (what’s operationally dangerous)

Why We Partnered

Trust needs proof. Dark Sky independently evaluated wolfSSL using their TrustScore engine. Results:

  • 0 sanctioned contributors
  • No license conflicts or IP landmines
  • Clean, maintainable code
  • No embedded secrets or repo risk

You can view our TrustScore and full transparency report here: Dark Sky TrustScore for wolfSSL.

Why It Matters

For defense, software trust is mandatory. You must know what your code does—and who touched it.

wolfSSL delivers certifiable crypto.
Dark Sky proves its provenance.

No guesswork. No compromise. Just trusted software—by design.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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Benchmarking wolfCrypt on the Frontgrade Gaisler GR740: A Glimpse into Performance

In the context of the recent collaboration between wolfSSL and Frontgrade Gaisler, we are excited to share some benchmark results of the wolfCrypt library running on the Gaisler GR740-MINI board.

The GR740, designed as ESA’s Next Generation Microprocessor (NGMP), is a radiation-hardened System-on-Chip (SoC) featuring a quad-core fault-tolerant LEON4 SPARC V8 processor.

WolfSSL and Gaisler aim to enhance security solutions for space-grade applications, leveraging the robust capabilities of the GR740 processor and the cryptographic know-how of wolfSSL.

Benchmark for wolfCrypt running on Baremetal:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 wolfSSL version 5.8.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Math:   Multi-Precision: Wolf(SP) word-size=32 bits=4096 sp_int.c
        Single Precision: ecc 256 384 rsa/dh 2048 3072 4096 sp_c32.c small
wolfCrypt Benchmark (block bytes 1024, min 1.0 sec each)
AES-128-CBC-enc              3 MiB took 1.003 seconds,    3.432 MiB/s
AES-128-CBC-dec              3 MiB took 1.002 seconds,    3.411 MiB/s
AES-192-CBC-enc              3 MiB took 1.007 seconds,    2.958 MiB/s
AES-192-CBC-dec              3 MiB took 1.005 seconds,    2.940 MiB/s
AES-256-CBC-enc              3 MiB took 1.005 seconds,    2.601 MiB/s
AES-256-CBC-dec              3 MiB took 1.001 seconds,    2.585 MiB/s
AES-128-GCM-enc            475 KiB took 1.014 seconds,  468.300 KiB/s
AES-128-GCM-dec            475 KiB took 1.015 seconds,  468.142 KiB/s
AES-192-GCM-enc            475 KiB took 1.036 seconds,  458.356 KiB/s
AES-192-GCM-dec            475 KiB took 1.037 seconds,  458.202 KiB/s
AES-256-GCM-enc            450 KiB took 1.003 seconds,  448.872 KiB/s
AES-256-GCM-dec            450 KiB took 1.003 seconds,  448.724 KiB/s
GMAC Table 4-bit           546 KiB took 1.001 seconds,  545.432 KiB/s
CHACHA                       7 MiB took 1.002 seconds,    6.945 MiB/s
CHA-POLY                     4 MiB took 1.000 seconds,    4.466 MiB/s
POLY1305                    17 MiB took 1.001 seconds,   17.076 MiB/s
SHA                         10 MiB took 1.002 seconds,    9.675 MiB/s
SHA-256                      3 MiB took 1.003 seconds,    2.581 MiB/s
SHA3-224                     2 MiB took 1.011 seconds,    1.907 MiB/s
SHA3-256                     2 MiB took 1.003 seconds,    1.801 MiB/s
SHA3-384                     1 MiB took 1.014 seconds,    1.397 MiB/s
SHA3-512                     1 MiB took 1.021 seconds,    0.980 MiB/s
HMAC-SHA                    10 MiB took 1.001 seconds,    9.585 MiB/s
HMAC-SHA256                  3 MiB took 1.001 seconds,    2.561 MiB/s
RSA     2048   public        78 ops took 1.017 sec, avg 13.035 ms, 76.715 ops/sec
RSA     2048  private         2 ops took 1.480 sec, avg 739.794 ms, 1.352 ops/sec
DH      2048  key gen         4 ops took 1.283 sec, avg 320.709 ms, 3.118 ops/sec
DH      2048    agree         4 ops took 1.282 sec, avg 320.625 ms, 3.119 ops/sec
ECC   [      SECP256R1]   256  key gen        18 ops took 1.028 sec, avg 57.084 ms, 17.518 ops/sec
ECDHE [      SECP256R1]   256    agree        18 ops took 1.025 sec, avg 56.947 ms, 17.560 ops/sec
ECDSA [      SECP256R1]   256     sign        16 ops took 1.010 sec, avg 63.136 ms, 15.839 ops/sec
ECDSA [      SECP256R1]   256   verify        10 ops took 1.145 sec, avg 114.465 ms, 8.736 ops/sec

Benchmark of wolfCrypt running in Linux Environment:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 wolfSSL version 5.8.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Math:   Multi-Precision: Wolf(SP) word-size=32 bits=4096 sp_int.c
        Single Precision: ecc 256 384 rsa/dh 2048 3072 4096 sp_c32.c small
wolfCrypt Benchmark (block bytes 1048576, min 1.0 sec each)
AES-128-CBC-enc              5 MiB took 1.502 seconds,    3.330 MiB/s
AES-128-CBC-dec              5 MiB took 1.542 seconds,    3.242 MiB/s
AES-192-CBC-enc              5 MiB took 1.737 seconds,    2.879 MiB/s
AES-192-CBC-dec              5 MiB took 1.780 seconds,    2.810 MiB/s
AES-256-CBC-enc              5 MiB took 1.971 seconds,    2.536 MiB/s
AES-256-CBC-dec              5 MiB took 2.015 seconds,    2.481 MiB/s
AES-128-GCM-enc              5 MiB took 10.777 seconds,    0.464 MiB/s
AES-128-GCM-dec              5 MiB took 10.744 seconds,    0.465 MiB/s
AES-192-GCM-enc              5 MiB took 10.983 seconds,    0.455 MiB/s
AES-192-GCM-dec              5 MiB took 10.980 seconds,    0.455 MiB/s
AES-256-GCM-enc              5 MiB took 11.218 seconds,    0.446 MiB/s
AES-256-GCM-dec              5 MiB took 11.215 seconds,    0.446 MiB/s
GMAC Table 4-bit          1024 KiB took 1.863 seconds,  549.684 KiB/s
CHACHA                      10 MiB took 1.483 seconds,    6.742 MiB/s
CHA-POLY                     5 MiB took 1.031 seconds,    4.852 MiB/s
POLY1305                    20 MiB took 1.158 seconds,   17.270 MiB/s
SHA                         10 MiB took 1.063 seconds,    9.410 MiB/s
SHA-256                      5 MiB took 1.494 seconds,    3.346 MiB/s
SHA3-224                     5 MiB took 2.609 seconds,    1.917 MiB/s
SHA3-256                     5 MiB took 2.757 seconds,    1.814 MiB/s
SHA3-384                     5 MiB took 3.578 seconds,    1.398 MiB/s
SHA3-512                     5 MiB took 5.126 seconds,    0.975 MiB/s
HMAC-SHA                    10 MiB took 1.062 seconds,    9.412 MiB/s
HMAC-SHA256                  5 MiB took 1.494 seconds,    3.346 MiB/s
RSA     2048   public       100 ops took 1.309 sec, avg 13.094 ms, 76.373 ops/sec
RSA     2048  private       100 ops took 74.411 sec, avg 744.114 ms, 1.344 ops/sec
DH      2048  key gen         4 ops took 1.291 sec, avg 322.812 ms, 3.098 ops/sec
DH      2048    agree       100 ops took 32.274 sec, avg 322.741 ms, 3.098 ops/sec
ECC   [      SECP256R1]   256  key gen       100 ops took 5.748 sec, avg 57.484 ms, 17.396 ops/sec
ECDHE [      SECP256R1]   256    agree       100 ops took 5.737 sec, avg 57.371 ms, 17.431 ops/sec
ECDSA [      SECP256R1]   256     sign       100 ops took 6.360 sec, avg 63.599 ms, 15.723 ops/sec
ECDSA [      SECP256R1]   256   verify       100 ops took 11.532 sec, avg 115.318 ms, 8.672 ops/sec

These results underscore the potential of integrating wolfSSL’s cryptographic solutions with Gaisler’s advanced hardware, paving the way for secure high-performance cryptography that comply with latest industry standards, including DO-178C Level A, FIPS 140-3 and MISRA-C.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfssl.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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Broken Cryptographic Algorithms

wolfSSL’s wolfcrypt library includes several cryptographic algorithms that are now considered broken or deprecated. While these algorithms are typically disabled by default, developers should be aware of their security implications. Here is the list of these algorithms along with links to documents explaining why they are no longer considered secure:

  • RC4/ARC4: Prohibited for TLS use due to keystream biases and practical attacks
  • MD2: Moved to Historic Status due to collision attacks
  • MD4: Moved to Historic Status, full collision attacks demonstrated
  • MD5: Practical collision attacks, can generate collisions in seconds (See https://github.com/wolfSSL/wolfssl/pull/8895)
  • SHA-1: Collision attacks demonstrated, officially retired by NIST in 2022
  • DES: 56-bit key easily crackable by brute force attacks with modern hardware
  • 3DES/TDEA: Deprecated by NIST, vulnerable to Sweet32 birthday attacks
  • DSA: Being phased out by NIST, vulnerable to nonce reuse attacks
  • RSA-1024 and weaker: There are experiments showing this is already too weak.

Note that these are still in the wolfSSL code base for some specific customer needs.

  1. Legacy Compatibility: Existing systems and embedded devices require these algorithms for interoperability
  2. Standards Compliance: Industry standards and regulatory requirements mandate support during transition periods
  3. Backward Compatibility: Applications migrating from legacy systems need continued support
  4. Gradual Migration Support: Organizations require time and pathways to transition to secure alternatives

NOTE: These algorithms are disabled by default and require explicit compilation flags (such as WOLFSSL_ALLOW_RC4) to enable them, demonstrating wolfSSL’s commitment to security best practices while maintaining necessary compatibility. There are other ways to enable some of these algorithms that you should be careful about:

  • –enable-all will enable all these algorithms
  • –enable-all-crypto will enable all these algorithms
  • –enable-openssh will enable DSA
  • –enable-wpas will enable DSA
  • –enable-curl will enable DES3
  • –enable-stunnel will enable DES3
  • –enable-oldtls will enable MD5 and SHA-1

A great way to check if these algorithms are enabled is to inspect your wolfssl/options.h to see what macros are defined.

All that said, no matter how strong your algorithms are, if you have weak entropy or use weak parameters, your cryptography is eventually destined to fail. Another threat is quantum computers. As the state of the art improves in the field of quantum computing, so increases the risk to our currently considered secure algorithms. If you find these points confusing, please do reach out to us for guidance.

Please think very carefully before enabling any of these algorithms and please do reach out to us if you have any uncertainty with regards to whether you need them.

Here are some other algorithms that are considered broken:

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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Migrating to wolfSSL from mbedTLS

We wanted to highlight a useful migration guide posted by Amazon for their AWS IoT Core with FreeRTOS showing how to migrate from mbedTLS to wolfSSL. The migration guide shows useful API mappings and how to expose PKCS11 capabilities.

Check out the FreeRTOS with mbedTLS to FreeRTOS with wolfSSL Migration Guide v1.0.

FreeRTOS is a real-time operating system used in many embedded systems. It is lightweight and optimized for microcontrollers and small processors. For systems using cryptography or TLS, wolfSSL is a perfect match, so we wanted to highlight a guide for migrating from mbedTLS to wolfSSL.

The AWS IoT Core is a managed cloud service for secure, reliable communication between embedded devices and the AWS Cloud. The AWS Iot Core requires TLS communication to establish connections.

Why Migrate from mbedTLS to wolfSSL?

Moving to wolfSSL offers several advantages for embedded environments, including:

  • Smaller footprint and performance optimizations: wolfSSL provides a reduced memory footprint and faster cryptographic processing.
  • Latest Protocols: It also includes full support for TLS 1.3 and DTLS 1.3, enabling shorter handshakes and stronger encryption.
  • Professional support: Direct support from engineers who authored and maintained the code. Free pre-sales support and paid support plans available.
  • Commercial licensing: While open source, wolfSSL also offers commercial licenses for proprietary projects
  • FIPS 140-3 certified cryptographic software module, making it suitable for regulated industries.
  • Easy integration and extensive resources: The library includes detailed documentation and examples, simplifying testing and adoption.
  • Expanded algorithm support: wolfSSL includes cryptographic algorithms beyond mbedTLS’s offerings such as Post Quantum (PQ) ML-DSA, ML-KEM, XMSS and LMSS.
  • Assembly optimizations for ARM Cortex-M and A. We typically see a 10x speedup using our hand crafted assembly speedups, which are available for all our commonly used symmetric and asymmetric algorithms.

Note: This migration guide is fairly dated. Since then wolfSSL has developed and maintains full PKCS11 support to either consume a PKCS11 provider or to be one through our wolfPKCS11 provider. We also support using a TPM 2.0 module as the cryptographic and storage provider for wolfPKCS11.

If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us at facts@wolfSSL.com or call us at +1 425 245 8247.

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