-----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@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@suse.de> // Nail here | SuSE Linux AG - Security Phone: // for a new | Nürnberg, Germany +49-911-740530 // monitor! --> [x] | - - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (GNU/Linux) iQEVAwUBPy+kD3ey5gA9JdPZAQFZfAf+NRu2VcNQU4ZBKUsNLXSy6CyGUe82gO4Y 3RaapXq8Fxu1Np6ZLrqiMSvAuwO8e1ssxZ7L0iK1V7jvB2UrmodmnRD4C5TaxwFR 3+r16AxuO7pmHzUh7GkyctlBTu37obElkjFzqT4C0SU8oLC0pNYr02Dbl3xOXwMl tiA4Yv0SEV8LydX6DkJCIg2ts6cCnMidXe9XCVqdGPM1xhIK0XMZfiCaqtssdH75 GRsH15COFXGHnhA2zEMTIVHiYOpudy7EY3PBGOgQ9mm5EwGb/LPIDnmuqptytkZg W2IpkobYaiXeXZulGmZfu6anL/imphEpY24Kb1L67M7bl44rsvqLvw== =faca -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----