LynuxWorks says it will ship a new super-high-security operating system in July, 2005 that was designed to meet the very highest levels of military certification. The LynxSecure Separation Kernel will run BlueCat Linux and LynxOS-178 applications within ultrasecure user-mode partitions, LynuxWorks says.

According to LynuxWorks, LynxSecure was designed for certification to Common Criteria EAL-7 (Evaluated Assurance Level 7), a level of certification unattained by any known OS to date. LynxSecure was also designed for DO-178 certification, commonly required in aerospace applications, the company says.

Separation kernel architecture
LynuxWorks says LynxSecure was designed to provide Multi-level Security (MLS) in embedded systems, workstations, and servers, including embedded avionics products, weapons systems, and C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) data systems. The company says the need for MLS has increased with the move toward NCW (network centric warfare) and the interconnection of many defense systems to a GIG (global information grid).

Similarly, MLS security requirements are increasingly found in commercial systems such as financial networks and the national infrastructure, according to LynuxWorks.

LynuxWorks CEO Inder Singh said, “The LynxSecure approach supports the powerful MILS architecture essential for providing the highest levels of security, while supporting the reuse of existing Linux and POSIX applications software. This is critical because if all application software had to be rewritten to achieve high assurance, we would end up limping along with less than secure systems.”

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