[oclug] Linux Makes a Run for Government

[Randal Leavitt]

* "Linux Makes a Run for Government"
CNet (08/16/02); Lemos, Robert

Linux may get its first federal government certification through an effort by a 
university think tank, The Cyberspace Policy Institute (CPI). The CPI wants to 
add some authentication and key management features to a Security-Enhanced Linux 
(SE Linux) version developed by the National Security Agency and the private 
firm Secure Computing. SE Linux adds mandatory access controls, which limits the 
maneuverability of a hacker if they gain access to a system through a buffer 
overflow attack, for example. The CPI version of SE Linux aspires to receive a 
basic Common Criteria rating required before government agencies can deploy a 
technology for use in sensitive applications. Microsoft's Windows 2000 is just 
now finishing its certification process, an indication of how rigorous the 
process is. CPI's Tony Stanco says the government's certification process is 
stilted toward proprietary software that comes from a single vendor, and that 
getting open-source software through that gauntlet will prove difficult. For 
instance, Secure Computing, which co-developed SE Linux, plans to enforce 
patents it has issued on segments of the access control technologies included in 
the software. In general, however, Linux has been making significant inroads 
into the government market with a favorable analysis by the MITRE defense firm 
in July and the recent announcement by the British government that it would 
consider open-source technology as an alternative to buying Microsoft technology.
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-950083.html
*

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Randal Leavitt
Registered User 267646 at http://counter.li.org/