The race is on to deliver a version of the Linux open-source operating system that will be more secure than any of its predecessors but also manageable and affordable enough to garner widespread acceptance. . . .
The race is on to deliver a version of the Linux open-source operating system that will be more secure than any of its predecessors but also manageable and affordable enough to garner widespread acceptance. Linux developer MandrakeSoft SA and a consortium of European software makers have tossed their hat into the ring, as has Trusted Computer Solutions Inc., a maker of software used by government agencies and businesses to securely transfer sensitive data.

Funded by the French Ministry of Defense via a three-year, $8.6 million (7 million euro) contract, MandrakeSoft, along with system and software developers Bertin Technologies Group, Jaluna, and Surlog, plan to develop a Linux-based operating system that meets Evaluation Assurance Level 5 of the Common Criteria, known by the designation CC-EAL5. Oppida, a service provider accredited by the French National Security Agency, will evaluate the new operating system against the international Common Criteria standard for IT security, also known as International Standards Organization 15408.

Trusted Computer Solutions' time frame is a bit tighter, as the company plans to release a beta version of its Trusted Linux operating system by the end of this year. The company plans to offer a generally available version early next year.

Trusted Computer Solutions began developing a more secure version of Linux to run underneath its SecureOffice data-sharing applications. The company expects TCS Trusted Linux will be certified at CC-EAL4.

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