Protection Profile

Protection Profile

A Protection ProfileProtection ProfileSecuritySecurity requirements document for CC.Click to view → (PP) is a formal document within the Common Criteria framework that specifies an implementation-independent set of security requirements for a category of IT products. In the smart card industry, Protection Profiles define the baseline security capabilities that all products of a given type — chip hardware, card operating system, payment application, or identity document — must satisfy to achieve certification.

PP Structure

A Protection Profile follows the ISO/IEC 15408 structure and contains:

Key Smart Card Protection Profiles

How PPs Are Used

A smart card vendor writing a Security Target (ST) for their product claims conformance to one or more Protection Profiles. The ITSEF (evaluation lab) verifies that the ST covers all requirements from the claimed PPsPPsProtocolCard-reader parameter negotiation.Click to view →. This ensures a minimum security bar across all products in the same category — every ePassport chip, regardless of manufacturer, meets the same threat model and security functional requirements.

Composite Evaluations

Smart card products are often evaluated as compositions. The chip silicon is certified against BSI-PP-0084, the operating system against BSI-PP-0075, and the application against a domain-specific PP. The final composite certificate confirms that the combination of certified components maintains the overall security level. This approach allows chip vendors and OS vendors to certify independently, reducing time-to-market for new card products.