Multi Level Secure System Elements › Features of CATop Secret MLS

Features of CATop Secret MLS

CA Top Secret supports MLS, a security policy that prevents disclosure and declassification of data based on defined levels of sensitivity of data and levels of clearance of users to that data. MLS also provides protection mechanisms based on data ownership rules and access permissions, individual accountability, file reuse protection, and audit trails. Together, these mechanisms support segregation of data by function, by system, or by row (for databases) as part of protecting disclosure and declassification of data. CA Top Secret MLS also supports making security decisions based on security labels for UNIX files and directories and their names, TCP/IP connections, servers, and DB2 resources.

CA Top Secret provides the following MLS features:

• Allows selective labeling of users and resources
• Validates accesses based on mandatory access control (MAC) and discretionary access control (DAC) protection mechanisms
• Allows separation of MLS administration from DAC administration
• Allows phased-in MLS implementation
• Allows real-time monitoring of classified users and resources
• Audits and logs accesses and violations based on security classifications and resource and access rules
• Supports labeling of UNIX resources
• Supports requiring security labels for UNIX resources
• Allows or prevents write-down of data
• Supports labeling of IPv6 addresses
• Allows or restricts READ access to UNIX file and directory names
• Supports restricting security labels to specific systems

CA Top Secret MLS does not:

• Require security label classification of all users, data and resources in a system
• Always prohibit writing data from a higher classification to data of a lower classification (“write down” or declassification)