IT Baseline Protection Manual - The Information Warfare Site

Safeguard Catalogue - Organisation Remarks
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5.36 Encryption under UNIX and Windows NT and S 4.34 Using
Encryption, Checksums or Digital Signatures)
- Requirements concerning data privacy
If person-related data are to be processed with the product, additional
special technical requirements should be placed beside the stated security
functions in order to be able to comply with data privacy stipulations.
Strength of the Mechanisms
Security functions are implemented by mechanisms. Depending on the field of
usage, these mechanisms must be of various strengths which provide defence
against attacks. The necessary strength of the mechanisms is set forth in the
Requirements Catalogue. According to ITSEC, differentiations are made
between three mechanism strengths:
- low: offers protection against unintentional attacks, e.g. operational
errors
- medium: offers protection against attackers with limited opportunities or
resources.-
- high: can only be overcome by attackers with an extensive knowledge,
opportunities and resources. A successful attack is generally not considered
possible.
Examples of Requirements on Security Features
Below are examples of some important security functions which highlight
typical requirements placed on security features.
In the event that the product is to have an identification and authentication
mechanism, the following requirements could be made, for example:
- Access should only be possible via a defined interface. A log-on
mechanism can be used, for instance, which requires unique user
identification and a password. In the event that the identity of the user is
known when the IT system is accessed, an anonymous password is
sufficient. Other possibilities are processes based on certain "tokens", such
as a chip card.
- The access procedure itself must correctly handle the critical parameters,
such as password, user identification etc. Current passwords should thus
never be stored unencrypted on the relevant IT systems.
- The access procedure must react to incorrect entries in a predefined
manner. For instance, if an incorrect authentication takes places three times
consecutively, the access to the product should be rejected. Alternatively,
the time intervals in which further access attempts can be made should be
gradually increased.
- The access procedure must allow certain minimum requirements for
security-critical parameters to be set. The minimum length of a password,
for example, should be 6 characters, the minimum length of a PIN should
be 3 digits. The syntax for passwords can also be stated, as necessary.
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IT-Baseline Protection Manual: Oktober 2000