FSTEC Russia

InfoWatch Acquires Web Control DC Team and Rebrands sPACE PAM as InfoWatch Privilege Control

InfoWatch has expanded its product portfolio by incorporating the Web Control DC development team and rebranding its flagship sPACE PAM solution. The new product, InfoWatch Privilege Control, is designed to manage and monitor privileged accounts belonging to system administrators, contractors, external specialists, and business users. These accounts provide access to servers, databases, network equipment, and critical applications, making them high-value targets for attackers. According to InfoWatch data, approximately 40% of critical information security incidents in Russia in 2025 were linked to the leakage or misuse of privileged credentials, while another 30% of confirmed cyberattacks occurred through compromised IT contractors. The solution enables time-limited privilege issuance, connection management, and detailed activity logging to prevent unauthorized actions. The original sPACE PAM product remains listed in the Russian software registry and holds FSTEC Russia certification at the fourth trust level, with compatibility for Astra Linux, Alt, and RED OS operating systems.

Russia to Require Independent Lab Testing of Sovereign AI Models for Legal and Traditional Values Compliance

The Russian Ministry of Digital Development is discussing a certification scheme under which developers can submit large generative AI models to accredited independent laboratories. These labs will verify compliance with Russian legislation and traditional spiritual-moral values defined in presidential decree No. 809. Only models seeking official national or sovereign status, which unlocks state support, data access and priority procurement, will undergo the process. Developers must first conduct self-testing according to a risk-oriented methodology and supply architecture details, filtering mechanisms and other documentation. Accredited laboratories will then run benchmarks, attempt prompt-injection attacks and produce evaluation reports, while the final decision remains with MinTsifry. Separate security assessments for government systems will be performed by the FSB and FSTEC Russia. Experts have called for transparent, reproducible tests and periodic re-certification after model updates.

Astra Cloud Launches Attested Secure Cloud to Accelerate FSTEC Compliance for Russian Government Systems

Astra Cloud, part of the Astra Group, has introduced a new "Protected Attested Cloud" service designed for hosting state information systems, personal data systems, medical platforms, and other sensitive environments. The infrastructure has received official attestation under FSTEC Russia Order No. 117 for protection class K1 and Order No. 21 for protection level UZ-1. Customers can leverage the pre-certified platform to speed up their own system attestation procedures by three to five times, although each organization's information system must still undergo separate certification. The service includes certified security tools such as firewalls, antivirus solutions, intrusion detection and prevention systems, trusted boot mechanisms, and SIEM, with all connections required through certified cryptographic channels. The cloud is hosted in a Tier IV data center built on domestic hardware and targets organizations that must meet FSTEC requirements without building their own protected infrastructure. From March 2026, Order No. 117 replaces Order No. 17 and extends obligations to subordinate institutions and companies interacting with the state segment, including 24-hour remediation of critical vulnerabilities.

Password Rotation Policies Under Scrutiny: NIST Guidelines, Historical Origins, and Logical Flaws

The article examines the long-standing practice of mandatory password rotation every 90 days, contrasting it with modern recommendations from NIST that advocate changing passwords only upon confirmed compromise rather than on a fixed schedule. It dissects common arguments in favor of periodic rotation, such as limiting offline hash cracking time and terminating unknown sessions, and demonstrates how these rely on reverse logic that starts from the control rather than from actual threats. Historical analysis traces the 90-day rule back to the 1985 DoD Green Book (CSC-STD-002-85), revealing that its own calculations showed password lifetime has minimal impact on security when proper rate limiting is in place. The piece distinguishes between data leakage and credential compromise, emphasizing that internal organizational signals provide far better indicators for targeted password changes than public breach databases. It concludes that scheduled rotation only makes sense as a substitute for mature detection capabilities, a trade-off explicitly recognized in PCI DSS v4.0.