The Relationship of System & Product Specifications and Evaluations

The security properties of Information Technology (IT) products and systems are important to the national security, critical infrastructure, and economic health of advanced society. These properties are studied, tested, and evaluated to provide information for decisions concerning trustworthiness and suitability for purpose. This panel will address present and future approaches to these determinations. Following panelist’s opening statements the moderator will ask important provocative questions and accept questions from the audience. The following questions are indicative of the discussion. 1. There appears to be a paradigm shift in process. What is happening in and between the schemes described below and similar activities in other sectors? 2. All organizations have resource limitations (e.g., skill, time, money). What are the most cost-effective activities in improving the security of IT products and systems using in the normal conduct of enterprise business, in critical infrastructure, and in national defense? 3. Systems involve multiple products, integrators, evaluated products, "glueware" that melds the products into systems. Should efforts focus on the weakest links? What can be done? How can information gained in each activity be reused?