Common Criteria (ISO 15408)

Framework for evaluating IT security products including smart cards, defining Evaluation Assurance Levels (EAL1-EAL7).

Common Criteria, ratified as ISO/IEC 15408, is the internationally recognised framework for specifying and independently evaluating the security of IT products, including smart-card chips and operating systems. Its seven Evaluation Assurance Levels (EAL1 through EAL7) measure the depth and rigour of the evaluation rather than a product's inherent strength, with secure smart-card platforms typically certified between EAL4+ and EAL6+. Certificates issued under the CCRA arrangement are mutually recognised across more than thirty member nations.