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In 1985, the UK Government's Communications Electronics Security Group
(CESG), as the technical authority for HMG electronic security, established
evaluation facilities for carrying out security evaluations of government
computer systems. These facilities were the forerunners of today's
CommerciaL Evaluation
Facilities (CLEFs).
In 1987, the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) established
the Commercial Computer Security Centre to examine the application
of formal security evaluation to commercially available IT products.
This resulted in the publication of a set of evaluation criteria
and an outline scheme for their operational use known as "the
Green Books". These criteria were tested during 1989 and
underwent wide consultation with industry.
It was realised that greater benefits would be gained from
a single scheme and accordingly, in December 1989, a new joint
CESG/DTI scheme was announced - the UK IT Security Evaluation
and Certification scheme, usually abbreviated to the "UK
ITSEC scheme". The Scheme commenced on 4 July 1990 and
became fully operational on 1 May 1991.
Mission Statement
The objectives of the Scheme are to meet the needs of Industry
and Government for cost effective and efficient security evaluation
and certification of IT products and systems. The Scheme also
aims to provide a framework for the international mutual recognition
of certificates.
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