The TOE is the Cisco Catalyst Industrial Ethernet 9300 Rugged Series Switches running IOS-XE 17.15 all running Internetworking Operating System (IOS)-XE17.15. The TOE is a purpose-built, switching and routing platform with Open System Interconnection (OSI) Layer2 and Layer3 traffic filtering capabilities. The TOE also supports Media Access Control Security (MACsec) encryption for switch-to-switch (inter-network device) security.
","evaluation_configuration":"The Cisco Catalyst Industrial Ethernet 9300 Rugged Series Switches running IOS-XE 17.15 TOE includes the Cisco IOS-XE software image Release 17.15 and is composed of the following hardware:
\r\n","security_evaluation_summary":"
The evaluation was carried out in accordance to the Common Criteria Evaluation and Validation Scheme (CCEVS) requirements and guidance. The evaluation demonstrated that the TOE meets the security requirements contained in the Security Target. The criteria against which the TOE was judged are described in the Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation, Version 3.1, Revision 5, April 2017. The evaluation methodology used by the evaluation team to conduct the evaluation is the Common Methodology for Information Technology Security Evaluation, Evaluation Methodology, Version 3.1, Revision 5, April 2017. The product, when delivered and configured as identified in the Cisco Catalyst Industrial Ethernet 9300 Rugged Series Switches running IOS-XE 17.15 CC Configuration Guide, Version 0.3, September 26, 2025 document, satisfies all of the security functional requirements stated in the Cisco Catalyst Industrial Ethernet 9300 Rugged Series Switches running IOS-XE 17.15 Security Target, Version 1.0, October 1, 2025. The project underwent CCEVS Validator review. The evaluation was completed in September 2025. Results of the evaluation can be found in the Common Criteria Evaluation and Validation Scheme Validation Report (report number CCEVS-VR-VID11603-2025) prepared by CCEVS.
","environmental_strengths":"The logical boundaries of the Cisco Catalyst Industrial Ethernet 9300 Rugged Series Switches running IOS-XE 17.15 are realized in the security functions that it implements. Each of these security functions is summarized below.
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Security audit:
\r\nThe Cisco Catalyst IE9300 Rugged Series Switches provide extensive auditing capabilities. The TOE generates a comprehensive set of audit logs that identify specific TOE operations. For each event, the TOE records the date and time of each event, the type of event, the subject identity, and the outcome of the event.
\r\nThe TOE is configured to transmit its audit messages to an external syslog server. Communication with the syslog server is protected using IPsec and the TOE can determine when communication with the syslog server fails. If that should occur, the TOE will store all audit records locally and when the connection to the remote syslog server is restored, all stored audit records will be transmitted to the remote syslog server.
\r\nThe TOE also internally stores audit records in a circular log file where the oldest audit records are overwritten when the audit trail becomes full. The audit logs can be viewed on the TOE using the appropriate IOS-XE 17.15 commands. The records include the date/time the event occurred, the event/type of event, the user associated with the event, and additional information of the event and its success and/or failure. The TOE does not have an interface to modify audit records, though there is an interface available for the Authorized Administrator to clear audit data stored locally on the TOE.
\r\nCryptographic support:
\r\nThe TOE provides the cryptography to support all security functions. All algorithms claimed have Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program (CAVP) certificates.
\r\nThe TOE leverages the IOS Common Cryptographic Module (IC2M), firmware version Rel5a (CAVP cert. #A1462).
\r\nThe TOE supports MACsec using the proprietary UAPD MSC MACsec embedded in ASICs v1.1 (CAVP Cert. #4848).
\r\nThe TOE provides cryptographic support for IPsec, which is used to secure the session between the TOE and the audit server.
\r\nThe TOE authenticates and encrypts packets between itself and a MACsec peer. The MACsec Key Agreement (MKA) Protocol provides the required session keys and manages the required encryption keys to protect data exchanged by the peers.
\r\nIdentification and authentication:
\r\nThe TOE performs two types of authentication: device-level authentication of the remote device (TOE peers) and user authentication for the Authorized Administrator of the TOE. Device-level authentication allows the TOE to establish a secure channel with a trusted peer. The secure channel is established only after each device authenticates the other. Device-level authentication is performed via IKE/IPsec mutual authentication. The IKE phase authentication for the IPsec communication channel between the TOE and authentication server and between the TOE and syslog server is considered part of the Identification and Authentication security functionality of the TOE.
\r\nThe TOE provides authentication services for administrative users to connect to the TOE’s secure Command Line Interface (CLI) Administrator interface. The TOE requires Authorized Administrators to authenticate prior to being granted access to any of the management functionality. The TOE can be configured to require a minimum password length of 15 characters as well as mandatory password complexity rules. The TOE provides Administrator authentication against a local user database. Password-based authentication can be performed on the local serial console or SSHv2 interfaces. The SSHv2 interface also supports authentication using SSH keys.
\r\nThe TOE also provides an automatic lockout when a user attempts to authenticate and enters invalid information. When the threshold for a defined number of failed authentication attempts has exceeded the configured allowable attempts, the user is locked out until an Authorized Administrator can reenable the user account.
\r\nThe TOE uses X.509v3 certificates as defined by RFC 5280 to support authentication for IPsec connections.
\r\nSecurity management:
\r\nThe TOE provides secure administrative services for management of general TOE configuration and the security functionality provided by the TOE. All TOE administration occurs either through a secure SSHv2 session or via a local serial console connection. The TOE provides the ability to securely manage:
\r\nThe TOE supports two separate Administrator roles: non-privileged Administrator and privileged Administrator. Only the privileged Administrator can perform the above security relevant management functions. The privileged Administrator is the Authorized Administrator of the TOE who can enable, disable, determine, and modify the behaviour of the security functions of the TOE as described in this document.
\r\nProtection of the TSF:
\r\nThe TOE protects against interference and tampering by untrusted subjects by implementing identification, authentication, and access controls to limit configuration to Authorized Administrators. The TOE prevents reading of cryptographic keys and passwords. Additionally, Cisco IOS-XE is not a general-purpose operating system and access to Cisco IOS-XE memory space is restricted to only Cisco IOS-XE functions.
\r\nThe TOE can verify any software updates prior to the software updates being installed on the TOE to avoid the installation of unauthorized software.
\r\nThe TOE detects replay of information received via secure channels (MACsec). The detection is applied to network packets that terminate at the TOE, such as trusted communications between the TOE and an IT entity (e.g., MACsec peer). If replay is detected, the packets are discarded.
\r\nThe TOE internally maintains the date and time. This date and time information is used as the timestamp that is applied to audit records generated by the TOE. The TOE provides the Authorized Administrators the capability to update the TOE’s clock manually to maintain a reliable timestamp.
\r\nFinally, the TOE performs testing to verify correct operation of the TOE itself and that of the cryptographic module.
\r\nTOE access:
\r\nThe TOE can terminate inactive sessions after an Authorized Administrator configurable time-period. Once a session has been terminated, the TOE requires the user to re-authenticate to establish a new session.
\r\nThe TOE can also display an Authorized Administrator specified banner on the CLI management interface prior to allowing any administrative access to the TOE.
\r\nTrusted path/channels:
\r\nThe TOE allows a trusted path to be established to itself from remote Administrators over SSHv2 and initiates outbound IPsec trusted channels to transmit audit messages to remote syslog servers. In addition, IPsec is used as a trusted channel between the TOE and the remote authentication servers.
\r\nThe TOE supports MACsec secured trusted channels between itself and MACsec peers.
","features":[{"id":2358,"feature_name":"Asymmetric Key Generation"},{"id":2364,"feature_name":"Auditing"},{"id":2388,"feature_name":"Certificate Authentication"},{"id":2380,"feature_name":"Certificate Validation"},{"id":2375,"feature_name":"Cryptographic Hashing"},{"id":2362,"feature_name":"Cryptographic Key Establishment"},{"id":2372,"feature_name":"Cryptographic Signature Generation"},{"id":2374,"feature_name":"Cryptographic Signature Verification"},{"id":2367,"feature_name":"DRBG"},{"id":2354,"feature_name":"Flaw Remediation"},{"id":2387,"feature_name":"IKEv2"},{"id":2386,"feature_name":"IPsec"},{"id":2360,"feature_name":"Key Destruction"},{"id":2376,"feature_name":"Keyed-hash message authentication"},{"id":2389,"feature_name":"MACsec"},{"id":2352,"feature_name":"Network Switch"},{"id":2385,"feature_name":"SSH Server"}]}