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Windows platforms achieve Common Criteria EAL 4 certification
Dec. 14, 2005

Microsoft announced Wednesday that several Windows platforms have been awarded Common Criteria (CC) Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 4 + augmented with ALC_FLR.3 certification from the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP). CC certification is an international standard for ensuring that IT products conform to stringent security requirements, according to the company.

The following products have earned CC EAL 4 + Augmented with ALC_FLR.3 certification from NIAP:
  • Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
  • Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 2
  • Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit version) with Service Pack 1
  • Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit and 64-bit versions) with Service Pack 1
  • Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (32-bit and 64-bit versions) with Service Pack 1
  • Windows Server 2003 Certificate Server, Certificate Issuing and Management Components (CIMC) (Security Level 3 Protection Profile, Version 1.0)
According to Microsoft, the independent certification of its platform products included evaluation of more than 20 real-world scenarios or "workloads" by Science Applications International Corp.’s (SAIC’s) accredited Common Criteria testing lab. SAIC conducts "rigorous and exhaustive" testing at the source-code level to determine certifications.

Microsoft says these certifications parallel advances in software quality achieved through its use of the Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) process, a unique approach to software development that reflects the knowledge and best practices learned through focused security efforts during the past three years. Last month, the company launched new versions of three key products that were the first to have gone through the complete SDL process from inception to release. These are: Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2005, and Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Beta 2.

"CC certification of these Windows platform products, which includes evaluation of the broadest set of real-world scenarios of any operating system platform today, underscores our deep and ongoing commitment to the Common Criteria process," said Steve Lipner, Microsoft's senior director of security engineering strategy. "This milestone complements our ongoing advances in software quality through the Security Development Lifecycle process, ultimately benefiting any IT organization that is serious about security."

About NIAP and CC certification

The National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) is a collaboration between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Security Agency (NSA) created to meet the security testing needs of information technology (IT) consumers and producers, according to the NIAP website. The partnership combines the extensive IT security experience of both agencies to promote the development of technically sound security requirements for IT products and systems and appropriate measures for evaluating those products and systems.

The Common Criteria (CC) are the result of international efforts to develop widely useful criteria for evaluating IT security. It is based on existing European, US and Canadian criteria (ITSEC, TCSEC and CTCPEC respectively). Version 2.0 of the CC was adopted by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) as ISO 15408.

The CC presents requirements for the security of an IT product or system in two categories: functional requirements and assurance requirements. The functional requirements define desired security behaviour. Assurance requirements are the basis for gaining confidence that the claimed security measures are effective and implemented correctly, according to NIAP.



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