[lug] Linux distro certified for mission critical government apps
Ferdinand Schmid
fschmid at archenergy.com
Tue Aug 5 09:20:27 MDT 2003
HI,
I am aware that this is mostly a RedHat (KRUD) list - but marketing
aside it is a major step for Linux to meet DOD and other federal
standards as a suitable choice for mission critical systems.
Ferdinand
------------ Forwarded Message ------------
Date: Tuesday, August 05, 2003 02:35:26 PM +0200
From: Roman Drahtmueller <draht at suse.de>
To: "suse-security-announce at suse.com" <suse-security-announce at suse.com>
Cc:
Subject: [suse-security-announce] SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 gets
Common Criteria Certificate
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
This non-standard SuSE Security Announcement does not provide any
details about security incidents and is posted to
suse-security-announce at suse.com for your information. Read the full
press release about the successful Common Criteria Certification of the
SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 below.
The SuSE Security website has been redesigned. To read more about the
certification (such as the Security Target), please direct your browser
to
http://www.suse.de/security/
=======================================================================
====== IBM and SuSE Linux Earn First Security Certification of Linux
ARMONK, N.Y. and Oakland, CA, August 5, 2003 -- IBM and SuSE Linux today
announced that the two companies have achieved the first ever security
certification of Linux, taking the critical next step in the
maturation of Linux and enabling the adoption of Linux by governments
and companies around the world for mission critical environments.
IBM and SuSE Linux have achieved Common Criteria Security Certification
for SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 running on IBM eServer xSeries. The
Common Criteria (CC) is an internationally recognized ISO standard
(ISO 15408) used by the Federal government and other organizations to
assess security and assurance of technology products. The CC provides
a standardized way of expressing security requirements and defines the
respective set of rigorous criteria by which the product will be
evaluated. It is widely recognized among IT professionals, government
agencies, and customers as a seal of approval for mission-critical
software.
"We are pleased that Linux has reached this important security milestone
through the joint efforts of IBM and SuSE," said Fritz Schulz, Defense
Information Systems Agency. "The Common Criteria certification of
Linux will be a critical factor as Linux is applied to mission critical
environments."
SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 on IBM eServer xSeries has earned an
Evaluation Assurance Level 2+ certification, commonly referred to as
EAL2. IBM and SuSE also announced today that the companies have filed
for a higher level of security certification for Linux, the Controlled
Access Protection Profile with EAL3+ across the IBM eServer product
line, which is expected later this year.
In addition to the Common Criteria certification, SLES 8 on IBM eServer
platforms will meet the Common Operating Environment (COE) standard
later this year. This will lead to a product that simultaneously
meets Common Criteria and COE requirements. This standard, unique to
the US Department of Defense (DoD), addresses functionality and
interoperability requirements for commercially acquired IT products.
The COE specification is used to verify the look and feel and function
of software products as they are joined with government customized
code. The COE is broadly recognized as a standard computing
environment across the U.S. Government command and control systems.
"IBM and SuSE's landmark decision to submit the SuSE Linux Enterprise
Server product to Common Criteria testing challenges the view of many
skeptics that open source systems could not withstand such testing due
to the difficulty of establishing processes in an open-source
environment. This announcement demonstrates IBM's commitment to
enterprise infrastructure that is secure, cost effective and open,"
said IBM Senior Vice President of Technology and Manufacturing,
Nicholas Donofrio. "With this announcement, we continue to build upon
our commitment to delivering Common Criteria certification across the
IBM eServer platforms. Most importantly, the Common Criteria
certification further validates the security and quality of open source
software, not only for Global Government, but for other industries with
critical security requirements."
"SuSE is the world's only open source operating system manufacturer
which has technically demonstrated Common Criteria proficiency that
can control and minimize security risks through a comprehensive
quality assurance process," said Richard Seibt, Chief Executive
Officer, SuSE Linux. "The Common Criteria evaluation marks yet another
first for SuSE, and will further reassure companies of the high
quality and security of the SuSE Linux Enterprise Server."
Sponsored by IBM, the evaluation was completed by atsec information
security GmbH, one of the world's leading vendor-independent IT
security consulting companies, accredited in Germany by the Federal
Office for Information Security (BSI).
Under Common Criteria, products are evaluated against strict standards
for various features, such as the development environment, security
functionality, the handling of security vulnerabilities, security
related documentation and product testing. In certifying SLES 8 on
IBM xSeries, atsec information security GmbH evaluated how SuSE Linux
develops, tests and maintains its products, as well as assessing the
processes in place at the company for handling security issues in its
software. IBM and SuSE have committed to release key components of the
Common Criteria evaluation to the CCeLinux Consortium and Linux
development community, by the end of the month. In addition, IBM and
SuSE will continue to work with the open source development community
to actively enhance Linux security to make Linux even more secure than
it is today.
"We congratulate IBM and SuSE for their commitment to information
security as evidenced by the recent successful evaluation and
certification of SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8. This Linux server
product joins a growing list of commercial products evaluated under
the international security standard Common Criteria---providing
greater assurance in the component products used to build more secure
information systems for the federal government," said Ron S. Ross,
Ph.D., National Institute of Standards and Technology.
In addition to IBM's ongoing commitment to accelerate the development
and certification of Linux as a secure, industrial strength operating
system, IBM will continue to invest in ongoing certifications for new
and existing IBM products. Common Criteria certification is
anticipated for IBM's premier virtualization technology, z/VM, in the
upcoming year. z/VM allows mainframe customers to run tens to
hundreds of instances of the Linux operating system on a single IBM
zSeries server. IBM's suite of middleware products are also in line
for Common Criteria certification on Linux. IBM Directory has just
completed evaluation under the Common Criteria. WebSphere Application
Server and Tivoli Access Manager are in evaluation today, and several
other Software Group products are being prepared to enter the
evaluation process.
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80
years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on
resources from across IBM and key IBM Business Partners, IBM offers a
wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable
customers, large and small, to take full advantage of the new era of
e-business. For more information about IBM and Linux, visit
www.ibm.com/linux.
About SuSE Linux
SuSE Linux is the international technology leader and solutions
provider in Open Source operating system software. SuSE's unique
expertise in Linux and its largest development team worldwide
dedicated to Open Source software has contributed to the recognition
of SuSE as the most complete Linux solution available today. SuSE
Linux is a privately held company focused entirely on supporting the
Linux community and Open Source development.
###
SuSE is a registered trademark of SuSE Linux AG. Linux is a registered
trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other trademarks mentioned herein are
the property of their respective owners.
IBM, the IBM logo, and the IBM e-business Logo are registered
trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
Regards,
Roman Drahtmueller,
SuSE Security.
- --
- -
| Roman Drahtmüller <draht at suse.de> // Nail here |
SuSE Linux AG - Security Phone: // for a new
| Nürnberg, Germany +49-911-740530 // monitor! --> [x] |
- -
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--
Ferdinand Schmid
Architectural Energy Corporation
Celebrating 21 Years of Improving Building Energy Performance
http://www.archenergy.com
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