SRC GmbH: Pioneer in BSZ certification with expansion of the team of experts
In the following article you will learn more about how the SRC GmbH has been acting as a recognized test center for the BSZ since September 2021 and what important developments and expertise it offers in this area.
Accelerated Security Certification (BSZ): An Introduction
The BSZ is a procedure offered by the BSI in Germany to prove the security of IT products. It was introduced to give manufacturers a faster way to demonstrate the security of their products with a BSI certificate. This assessment aims to ensure that the product meets the security requirements of the BSI and offers end users an appropriate level of protection. Compared to the conventional certification according to Common Criteria (CC), the BSZ offers the advantage of faster certification, easier to plan evaluation times, and a significantly reduced documentation effort for the manufacturer. SRC is a testing center for accelerated security certification (BSZ) recognized by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and was one of the first recognized certification bodies at all.
The road to security: BSZ versus CC
The procedure only allows a single run, i.e. the product to be evaluated may not be changed during the evaluation. This greatly speeds up the process overall, but there is always a risk that products will fail the first attempt and therefore not receive a certificate. In this case, however, a new certification procedure can be requested from the BSI at any time.
Under the direction of Peter Jung: The first steps of the SRC with BSZ
Under the project management of Peter Jung, who has been responsible for the BSZ at SRC from the start, SCR has since evaluated the Lancom 1900EF VPN router, which was also the first BSZ product ever, and then the secunet high-speed connector. As soon as this is evaluated, we will report on it in another article.
New expertise at SRC: Tim Hirschberg and Dr. Matthieu Felsinger
We are happy to announce that since May 2023 the SRC has been formed with Tim Hirschberg (BSZ evaluator) and Dr. Matthias Heuft (BSZ evaluator) and Dirk Feldhusen (BSZ evaluator for cryptography) — strengthen.
The BSZ certification in detail: concentration on promises of security
The BSZ certification focuses on verifying the safety performance promised by the manufacturer. The actual certification is carried out after the product has been evaluated by a test center recognized by the BSI, such as the SRC. The resulting test report serves the BSI as a basis for awarding the certificate.
The path to the certificate: the verification process at SRC
The evaluation takes place within a fixed timeframe (about 2–3 months) that depends on the complexity of the product. The evaluation services include checking the promised security functionality (conformity tests) and the installation instructions as well as penetration tests, in which the effectiveness of the technical security measures of the product is checked under realistic attack scenarios.
Cryptocurrency ECB Digital EuroA Holistic Review: Cryptography and Beyond
The assessment of the implemented cryptographic procedures is also part of the comprehensive testing process that an IT product has to go through in order to receive the BSZ certification.
A look into the future of safety certification
At SRC GmbH, we are proud of our role as a recognized testing body for accelerated security certification (BSZ) and of continuously promoting security standards in the IT industry. With our experienced team and commitment to innovation, we will continue to help ensure the security of IT products.
If you would like to learn more about our BSZ certification services or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Together we can meet the safety requirements of your products and pave the way for certification. We look forward to working with you and shaping the future of safety certification.
