Security Target

Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation, version 3.1 Part 1 (Called “CC 3.1” or “CC”) defines the Security Target (ST) as an “implementation-specific statement of security needs for a specific identified Target of Evaluation (TOE)”. In other words, the ST defines boundary and specifies the details of the TOE. In a product evaluation process according to the CC the ST document is provided by the vendor of the product.

An ST defines information assurance security and functional requirements for the given information system product, which is called the Target of Evaluation (TOE). An ST is a complete and rigorous description of a security problem in terms of TOE description, threats, assumptions, security objectives, security functional requirements (SFRs), security assurance requirements (SARs), and rationales. The SARs are typically given as a number 1 through 7 called Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL), indicating the depth and rigor of the security evaluation, usually in the form of supporting documentation and testing, that the product meets the SFRs.

An ST contains some (but not very detailed) implementation-specific information that demonstrates how the product addresses the security requirements. It may refer to one or more Protection Profiles (PPs). In such a case, the ST must fulfill the generic security requirements given in each of these PPs, and may define further requirements.