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Why should I disable the FIPS mode under Windows?

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In the PRTG Manual, I read that a disabled FIPS mode is a system requirement to run PRTG. What is the FIPS mode and how can I ensure it is not running on my Windows systems? Why does PRTG require a disabled FIPS?

Does an enabled FIPS mode cause sensor errors with, for example, the message Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation?

dotnet error error-messages fips net-framework prtg security

Created on Sep 19, 2016 4:06:53 PM by Gerald Schoch [Paessler Support]

Last change on Jan 4, 2023 2:42:12 PM by Brandy Greger [Paessler Support]



3 Replies

Accepted Answer

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This article applies as of PRTG 22

Disable the FIPS mode on Windows

Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) is a set of standards that define which encryption algorithms can be used on Windows computers. If FIPS is enabled, Windows can only use FIPS-validated encryption and advises all applications to do so as well. Other encryption schemes are blocked, even if they are newer, faster, and more secure. Because of this, disabling the FIPS mode will not cause any security issues.

An enabled FIPS mode may even negatively affect Windows and the applications running on it. This also concerns the .NET Framework and therefore .NET-based sensors in PRTG. The following error message may indicate that the FIPS mode is activated and interferes with your sensors:

Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation

This error message is thrown by .NET and appears as a sensor message. For more detailed information about the FIPS mode and Microsoft’s recommendation to disable it, see the Microsoft TechNet article Why We’re Not Recommending “FIPS Mode” Anymore.

To disable the FIPS mode on your Windows computer, you have to turn off the security option System Cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing.

For more details on disabling the FIPS mode, see the How-to Geek article Why You Shouldn’t Enable “FIPS-compliant” Encryption on Windows.

Created on Sep 19, 2016 4:14:07 PM by Gerald Schoch [Paessler Support]

Last change on Dec 29, 2022 12:32:00 PM by Brandy Greger [Paessler Support]



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Hi. Is this article still relevant as of PRTG 23?

Created on Dec 11, 2023 10:24:44 PM



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Hi tryop,

Yes this is still valid. We update these articles on a regular basis. Therefore if there is any change, we will update also this article.

Kind regards

Felix Wiesneth - Team Technical Support

Created on Dec 12, 2023 8:36:49 AM by Felix Wiesneth [Paessler Support]




Disclaimer: The information in the Paessler Knowledge Base comes without warranty of any kind. Use at your own risk. Before applying any instructions please exercise proper system administrator housekeeping. You must make sure that a proper backup of all your data is available.