Comparison of trusted systems evaluation criteria

Abstract

A comparison of the trusted computer system evaluation criteria (TCSEC) and methodologies of four countries, the United States, Canada, Germany, and Britain, is presented. The evaluation criteria and methodologies of each country are described, and the four national approaches are compared. The US criteria apply to operating systems supporting a confidentiality security policy. The Canadian criteria extend the US TCSEC with criteria for integrity and availability, as well as for accountability and assurance. The German criteria are patterned closely on the US criteria, with the major exceptions that features and assurances are rated separately. With the British criteria, a developer states certain claims about a product's functionality, and the claims are independently evaluated for a chosen level of assurance.<>