Windows 7 achieves Common Criteria security certification

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Microsoft endeavours to help make the computing environment as secure as possible. Part of this commitment to security involves thorough testing against widely-recognized security certification requirements.

We are pleased to advise that Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2008 SP2 32 & 64 bit Enterprise Edition (English) have passed the Common Criteria (CC) certification process and achieved Evaluation Assurance Level 4 with augmentation (EAL4+). The Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Common Criteria Evaluation and Validation Scheme Validation Report and Security Target are available for download.

Common Criteria certification is an international standard recognized by 26 member nations including New Zealand.

In order to become certified, all three products had to go through a series of rigorous security tests set forth by the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA). The evaluations are based on real-world features, roles, and scenarios for customers in government, military, and intelligence communities. With this certification, customers can be assured the evaluation has been performed to high and consistent standards, allowing them to deploy these Microsoft products with confidence. To learn more about other Windows products that are CC certified, visit our Windows Platform CC page.

Windows 7 is Microsoft's most secure operating system to date. In addition to enhancing existing security features in Windows, the development team incorporated customer feedback throughout the development process of Windows 7 to deliver innovative new security features.

Privacy Awareness Week, from 1 to 7 May 2011, also serves as a timely reminder that information security practices are also an important element in the protection of personal information that is held by any organisation. Windows 7 can enhance privacy practices through features like the ability to enforce USB disk encryption policies (BitLocker To Go) and to permit only trusted applications to run on a system (AppLocker).