In short, FIPS 140-2 Validated means that a product has been reviewed, tested, and approved by an accredited (NIST approved) testing lab. “A product or implementation does not meet the FIPS 140-1 or FIPS 140-2 applicability requirements by simply implementing an approved security function and acquiring algorithm validation certificates.”
"System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for Mar 31, 2013 What is FIPS 140-3 and What Do You Need to Know About It? May 11, 2018
FIPS Compliance¶ To comply with NIST requirements for data protection, Acrobat and Reader on Windows can provide encryption via the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 mode. FIPS 140 is a cryptographic security standard used by the federal government and others requiring higher degrees of security.
FIPS 140 is a U.S. and Canadian government standard that specifies security requirements for cryptographic modules. A cryptographic module is defined as "the set of hardware, software, and/or firmware that implements approved security functions (including cryptographic algorithms and key generation) and is contained within the cryptographic
System cryptography Use FIPS compliant algorithms for
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 140-2 is a US and Canadian government standard that specifies the security requirements for cryptographic modules that protect sensitive information. The Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 (FIPS 140-2) is a U.S. and Canadian co-sponsored security standard for hardware, software, and firmware solutions.