Boeing

Boeing [NYSE: BA] has received high marks in security and information assurance for its Secure Network Server (SNS) 3010 and 3210 information technology (IT) products. The National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) awarded the Boeing products a Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 4+ rating.

The NIAP -- a U.S. government initiative between the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Security Agency (NSA) -- awarded the rating following a comprehensive product evaluation.

The government rating system aims to increase user confidence in IT systems and products that offer information assurance capability. Each of its seven levels is progressively more difficult for a product to attain.

"Achieving this rating validates our product's innovative design, which will provide users with reliable information assurance to support their diverse requirements," said Vic Sweberg, Boeing Advanced Systems director of Network Centric Operations Capabilities and Emerging Markets. "Boeing is leading a new direction in providing highly secure network solutions for global customers with the SNS 3010 and 3210."

Many companies and organizations segment their IT networks into "enclaves." An enclave, which consists of networks, servers and workstations, operates within a secure environment according to user-configurable filters and policies, or "firewalls." It is not accessible by users in the rest of the network or by the public. It is protected against unauthorized information entering or exiting the enclave through such methods as a secure network server.

The Boeing SNS 3010 and 3210 (compact version) provide various levels of bi-directional information assurance, meaning that it first allows or denies specified types of information to enter or exit the network enclave. For information that it does allow, it determines the appropriate level of security needed to protect that information.

The Boeing SNS can connect secure enclaves to each other within the network and supports enclaves with single- or multi-security level capabilities to provide reliable two-way communication between enclaves. An embedded network management feature administers the network including its security and auditing functions.

"Our next milestone will be EAL 7 evaluation and certification by the NSA, which we plan to attain in the near future," said Nick Multari, Boeing Phantom Works program manager of the Secure Network Server. "This will provide our customers with an unprecedented level of confidence in the security of their electronic information and will be an even greater competitive discriminator for the SNS 3010 and 3210 products."

The NIAP and independent organizations assess a product's security capability according to national and international standards at licensed and approved U.S. evaluation centers for conformance to the Common Criteria for IT Security Evaluation (International Standards Organization Standard 15408). Following the evaluation, a product receives a rating that customers may use to evaluate its claims. The NIAP then lists the product on its Web site as being certified.

Boeing Phantom Works, the company's advanced research and development organization, designed and developed the SNS products and is working on follow-on versions that feature increased processing speed and Internet Protocol v6 compatibility. Boeing Advanced Systems is offering the product globally.