wolfSSL 4.4.0 introduces new high security elliptic curve algorithms: X448 and Ed448. These algorithms are specified for TLS - RFC 8446 and RFC 8442 - and in NIST drafts FIPS 186-5 and SP 800-186.

These high security algorithms are not only fast but also small - 10KB for the optimised X448 C code on Intel x64! And it’s faster than OpenSSL:

Algorithm	Operation	wolfSSL C	OpenSSL 1.1.1c
ECDH X448	Key Gen	6409
ECDH X448	Key Agree	6449	2635
ECDSA ED448	Sign	14591	4339
ECDSA ED448	Verify	5290	2388

wolfSSL is nearly two and half times faster than OpenSSL when performing key agreement, three and a third times faster for signing and over two times faster when verifying!

Curve448 is great choice for applications where code size matters; especially compared to P-384:

Algorithm	Operation	wolfSSL C Curve448	wolfSSL C P-384	OpenSSL 1.1.1c P-384
ECDH X448	Key Gen	6409	8505
ECDH X448	Key Agree	6449	3121	1455
ECDSA ED448	Sign	14591	4339	1391
ECDSA ED448	Verify	5290	2388	1842

Curve448 can be used in TLS 1.2 and 1.3 for key exchange and certificates.

Do you need higher security or is code size important? Then you must consider using X448 and Ed448 for your public key operations from wolfSSL!

If you have any questions or run into any issues, contact us at facts@wolfssl.com, or call us at +1 425 245 8247.