FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1998-08-24

Agreement to lead to new confidence

A new agreement is expected to lead to greater confidence in the ability of information technology (IT) security products to protect sensitive data from loss, alteration or disclosure.

The agreement between the Standards Council of Canada and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) creates an accreditation program to recognize laboratories that test the conformity of IT products to security standards.

The Standards Council will accredit laboratories while the CSE will certify products on the basis of tests performed against the Common Criteria - an internationally recognized IT security standard devised by the CSE and its partners in the US, the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands. However, the accreditation program will also accommodate other testing using a diversity of industry driven information technology security standards.

Certification will also provide greater assurance that sensitive data is adequately and appropriately protected. The opportunity to market certified products is expected to expand international markets for the Canadian IT industry.

The Standards Council of Canada is a Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective standardization. Its Program for Accreditation of Laboratories - Canada (PALCAN) has accredited over 200 laboratories in a variety of specialty areas.

The CSE is a federal government agency that delivers information technology security solutions to the Canadian government. The CSE web page is at www.cse-cst.gc.ca.

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