Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation

Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation is an international standard (ISO/IEC 15408 and ISO/IEC 18045) that defines a structured framework to specify, implement, and independently evaluate the security properties of IT products and systems.

Expanded Explanation

1. Technical Function and Core Characteristics

Common Criteria provides a set of security functional and assurance requirements, a protection profile concept, and an evaluation assurance level scale that evaluation laboratories use to assess products. It standardizes how security claims are expressed and independently verified against defined criteria.

The standard comprises ISO/IEC 15408, which defines concepts, principles, and the catalog of requirements, and ISO/IEC 18045, which defines the evaluation methodology. It supports repeatable, comparable evaluations by accredited laboratories under national or international certification schemes.

2. Enterprise Usage and Architectural Context

Enterprises use Common Criteria certifications to assess commercial security products for alignment with policy, procurement, or regulatory requirements. It often applies to operating systems, databases, network devices, encryption products, identity and access management components, and security appliances.

Architects reference protection profiles and security targets when selecting or integrating products into security architectures, particularly in government, defense, and regulated sectors. Common Criteria evaluations provide documented assurance about development processes, security functions, and testing depth, which supports risk assessments and compliance documentation.

3. Related or Adjacent Technologies

Common Criteria relates to other security assurance and evaluation frameworks such as Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140 for cryptographic modules, ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management, and SOC reports for service organizations. These frameworks address different assurance scopes and layers, from components to management systems.

It also interacts with national certification schemes and mutual recognition arrangements, such as the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement, which coordinate accreditation of labs and acceptance of certificates across participating countries. Vendors often pursue both Common Criteria and other certifications to cover overlapping but distinct assurance needs.

4. Business and Operational Significance

Common Criteria certification supports procurement decisions by providing a standardized, third-party evaluation of security functions and assurance measures. Public-sector buyers in multiple jurisdictions reference Common Criteria in purchasing policies for security-relevant IT products.

For enterprises, using Common Criteria evaluated products can support internal control frameworks, audit responses, and regulatory compliance, because evaluation reports and certificates document how security requirements were tested. The framework also gives product teams a structured approach to defining and validating security features across the product lifecycle.