Trusted operating system
Encyclopedia
Trusted Operating System (TOS) generally refers to an operating system
that provides sufficient support for multilevel security
and evidence of correctness to meet a particular set of government requirements.
The most common set of criteria for trusted operating system design is the Common Criteria
combined with the Security Functional Requirements (SFRs) for Labeled Security Protection Profile(LSPP) and Mandatory Access Control
(MAC). The Common Criteria is the result of a multi-year effort by the governments of the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries to develop a harmonized security criteria for IT products.
Examples of certified trusted operating systems are:
Examples of operating systems that might be certifiable are:
Companies that have created trusted operating systems include:
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
that provides sufficient support for multilevel security
Multilevel security
Multilevel security or Multiple Levels of Security is the application of a computer system to process information with different sensitivities , permit simultaneous access by users with different security clearances and needs-to-know, and prevent users from obtaining access to information for...
and evidence of correctness to meet a particular set of government requirements.
The most common set of criteria for trusted operating system design is the Common Criteria
Common Criteria
The Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation is an international standard for computer security certification...
combined with the Security Functional Requirements (SFRs) for Labeled Security Protection Profile(LSPP) and Mandatory Access Control
Mandatory access control
In computer security, mandatory access control refers to a type of access control by which the operating system constrains the ability of a subject or initiator to access or generally perform some sort of operation on an object or target...
(MAC). The Common Criteria is the result of a multi-year effort by the governments of the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries to develop a harmonized security criteria for IT products.
Examples of certified trusted operating systems are:
- Apple Mac OS X 10.6 (Rated EAL 3+)
- HP-UX 11i v3HP-UXHP-UX is Hewlett-Packard's proprietary implementation of the Unix operating system, based on UNIX System V and first released in 1984...
(Rated EAL 4+) - Some LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
distributions (Rated up to EAL 4+) - Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Server 2008 R2 (Rated EAL 4+ )
- AIX 5L with PitBull Foundation (Rated EAL 4+)
- Trusted Solaris
- Trusted UNICOS 8.0 (Rated B1)
- XTS-400XTS-400The XTS-400 is a multi-level secure computer operating system. It is multi-user and multitasking. It works in networked environments and supports Gigabit Ethernet and both IPv4 and IPv6....
(Rated EAL5+)
Examples of operating systems that might be certifiable are:
- FreeBSDFreeBSDFreeBSD is a free Unix-like operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via BSD UNIX. Although for legal reasons FreeBSD cannot be called “UNIX”, as the direct descendant of BSD UNIX , FreeBSD’s internals and system APIs are UNIX-compliant...
with the TrustedBSD extensions - SELinux (see FAQ)
Companies that have created trusted operating systems include:
- AddamaxAddamaxAddamax is an American software company founded in 1986 in Champaign, Illinois by Dr. Peter A. Alsberg. They developed Trusted operating systems based on ATT System V and Berkeley variants of UNIX...
(BSD, SVR3, SVR4, HP/UX) - Argus Systems Group (Solaris, AIX)
- AT&TAT&TAT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
(System V) - Bull (AIX)
- Data General (DG/UX)
- Digital Equipment CorporationDigital Equipment CorporationDigital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
(Ultrix) - Gemini Computers (GEMSOS)
- Harris Corporation (SVR3, SVR4)
- Hewlett-PackardHewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
(HP/UX) - HoneywellHoneywellHoneywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
(Multics) - IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
(OS/390, AIX) - SCOSCO GroupTSG Group, Inc. is a software company formerly called The SCO Group, Caldera Systems, and Caldera International. After acquiring the Santa Cruz Operation's Server Software and Services divisions, as well as UnixWare and OpenServer technologies, the company changed its focus to UNIX...
(SCO Unix) - Secure Computing Corporation (LOCK, Mach, BSD)
- SecureWare (Apple A/UX, HP/UX, SCO)
- Sequent (Dynix/ptx)
- Silicon GraphicsSilicon GraphicsSilicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
(IRIX) - Sun MicrosystemsSun MicrosystemsSun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
(SunOS, Solaris) - Trusted Information SystemsTrusted Information SystemsTrusted Information Systems was a computer security research and development company during the 1980s and 1990s, performing computer and communications security research for organizations such as NSA, DARPA, ARL, AFRL, SPAWAR, and others.TIS was founded in 1983 by NSA veteran Steve Walker, and at...
(Xenix, Mach) - BAE SystemsBAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
(XTS Unix)
See also
- Common CriteriaCommon CriteriaThe Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation is an international standard for computer security certification...
- Comparison of operating systemsComparison of operating systemsThese tables compare general and technical information for a number of widely used and currently available operating systems.Because of the large number and variety of available Linux distributions, they are all grouped under a single entry; see comparison of Linux distributions for a detailed...
- Security-evaluated operating systemSecurity-evaluated operating systemIn computing, security-evaluated operating systems have achieved certification from an external security-auditing organization, such as a B2 or A1 CSC-STD-001-83 "Department of Defense Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria" or Common Criteria certification.Note that meeting a given set of...
- Security-focused operating system