[Public Interpretations Database]

I-0367: Management Sections Are Informative

 
TYPE:                 Editorial Observation
NUMBER:               I-0367
STATUS:               In CCIMB RI Queue

TITLE:                Management Sections Are Informative

EFFECTIVE:            2000-03-27

SOURCE REFERENCE:     CC v2.1 Part 2 Subclause 2.1.2.4
RELATED TO:           <None>
CCIMB ENTRY:          CCIMB-INTERP-0169

ISSUE:

The use of the phrase "management requirements" has lead some users of the Common Criteria to interpret the Management sections as normative material, proscribing the specific management components that must be included. This is clearly an incorrect interpretation, as noted by the last sentence in Section 2.1.2.4.

PROPOSED RESOLUTION

The actual text in the "Management" sections of a component's description is informative; that is, it is up to a PP or ST author to determine if the indicated management activities are appropriate for their PP/ST.

PROPOSED CRITERIA CHANGES

To address this observation, the following changes should be made to CC v2.1 Part 2 Subclause 2.1.2.4 (additions shown thusly; deletions shown thusly):

2.1.2.4 Management

The management requirements clauses contain information for the PP/ST authors to consider as management activities for a given component. The management requirements are detailed in components of the management class (FMT). The clauses reference components of the management class (FMT), and provide guidance regarding potential management activities that might be applied via operations to those components.

A PP/ST author may select the indicated management requirements components for the indicated activities or may include other management requirements components or activities not listed. As such the information should be considered informative.

SUPPORT:

The interpretation provides further clarification of the informative nature of the Management sections by eliminating references to the sections as "management requirements".