Common Criteria

Definition

Common Criteria is an international standard for evaluating the security properties of information technology products and systems. It provides a framework that allows organizations to assess the security features of their systems and ensures that products meet specific security requirements, ultimately enhancing trust and interoperability across various platforms and vendors.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Common Criteria has been adopted by multiple countries, including the United States, Canada, and members of the European Union, making it a globally recognized standard.
2. It helps organizations mitigate risks by providing assurance that products have been rigorously evaluated against predefined security requirements.
3. The evaluation process considers not only the product's functionality but also its development and design processes to ensure comprehensive security.
4. Common Criteria supports a variety of security attributes, including confidentiality, integrity, availability, and accountability.
5. Certification through Common Criteria can enhance a product's marketability and instill confidence in customers regarding its security capabilities.

Review Questions

• How does Common Criteria contribute to improving hardware-based security features in information technology products?
  • Common Criteria enhances hardware-based security features by providing a standardized framework for evaluating the security aspects of IT products. By ensuring that these products are assessed against specific criteria, organizations can be confident that the hardware has undergone rigorous testing for vulnerabilities. This standardization fosters greater trust among users and facilitates the selection of secure hardware solutions tailored to meet organizational needs.
• Discuss how Evaluation Assurance Levels (EAL) within Common Criteria affect the assessment of products against side-channel attacks.
  • Evaluation Assurance Levels (EAL) provide a structured approach to assessing the security of products against various threats, including side-channel attacks. Higher EALs indicate more comprehensive evaluations, meaning that products have undergone extensive testing for potential vulnerabilities related to side-channel information leakage. This thorough assessment helps developers identify weaknesses in their products and implement robust countermeasures to protect sensitive data from such attacks.
• Evaluate the overall impact of Common Criteria on building trust in IT systems and protecting against emerging security threats like side-channel attacks.
  • Common Criteria plays a crucial role in establishing trust in IT systems by ensuring that products are evaluated based on internationally recognized standards. This builds consumer confidence as organizations are assured that their systems have been tested against various vulnerabilities, including side-channel attacks. As technology evolves and new threats emerge, maintaining rigorous evaluation processes through Common Criteria will be essential for enhancing the resilience of IT systems and safeguarding sensitive information from increasingly sophisticated attack vectors.

Related terms

Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL): A measure within the Common Criteria framework that indicates the depth and rigor of the evaluation process applied to a product's security features.

Protection Profile: A document that identifies a set of security requirements for a specific class of products, serving as a basis for evaluations in the Common Criteria framework.

Certification: The formal recognition that a product or system meets specified security standards after undergoing evaluation according to the Common Criteria.