CC EAL6+: Understanding One of the Highest Security Certifications in the World

When it comes to digital security, very few certifications carry the weight and prestige of Common Criteria EAL6+.

Whether you're exploring secure hardware, cryptographic chips, or evaluating the safety of critical systems, EAL6+ stands as a mark of extraordinary assurance — far beyond what most consumer devices ever achieve.

In this article, we break down what CC EAL6+ really means, why it matters, and where it’s used.

🧩 What Is Common Criteria (CC)?

Common Criteria (ISO/IEC 15408) is an international standard used to evaluate the security assurance of IT products.

Instead of focusing only on what security features a product claims to have, CC evaluates how securely those features are designed, implemented, and tested.

Common Criteria uses Evaluation Assurance Levels (EAL1–EAL7) to measure this depth of analysis.

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🏆 What Does EAL6+ Mean?

EAL6 (Evaluation Assurance Level 6) is one of the highest ratings possible, requiring formal methods, advanced testing, and deep inspection of system internals.

The “+” means additional protections above the standard EAL6 requirements — often related to tamper resistance, lifecycle security, or attack mitigation.

In simple words:

EAL6+ is designed for systems that must withstand extremely sophisticated attacks — often from state-funded, highly skilled adversaries.

🆙 EAL Levels at a Glance

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🔒 What Makes EAL6+ So Strong?

To achieve EAL6+, a product must undergo extremely rigorous evaluations, including:

🧠 1. Formal and Semi-Formal Security Design

Parts of the product’s design must be expressed in mathematical models, reducing implementation flaws.

🔍 2. Advanced Vulnerability Analysis

Evaluators try to break the system using:

• Power analysis (SPA/DPA)

• Fault injection

• Laser attacks

• Glitching attacks

• Side-channel analysis

• Electromagnetic leaks

These techniques are the same used in military-grade labs and advanced hacking operations.

🧪 3. Deep Penetration Testing

Independent labs simulate well-funded attackers to test the real-world resilience of the system.

🏭 4. Supply-Chain Verification

The manufacturer must prove:

• Secure manufacturing

• Secure key handling

• Trusted firmware signing

• Controlled distribution

📦 5. Strict Lifecycle Security

EAL6+ also evaluates:

• Secure development environment

• Secure updates

• Incident response capacity

• Flaw remediation (higher levels often include ALC_FLR requirements)

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➕ What the “+” Actually Means

The + represents additional security requirements beyond base EAL6.

These may include:

• Enhanced vulnerability analysis ( AVA_VAN.5)

• Strict flaw remediation (ALC_FLR.1 or above)

• Advanced testing requirements

• Extra tamper-resistance features

In many cases, the “+” is what makes the certification suitable for high-risk national security applications.

🧭 Where Is EAL6+ Used?

EAL6+ is extremely rare because it requires years of evaluation and millions in testing. Products that reach this level are typically deployed in:

🛡 Government & Military

• Secure communications systems

• Classified data storage devices

• High-security encryption modules

🏦 Banking & Finance

• Advanced smart card chips

• Banking-grade secure elements

• Hardware security modules (HSMs)

🧬 Critical Infrastructure

• Power grid control systems

• Defense communication nodes

• Nuclear monitoring equipment

🔐 High-Security Cryptographic Hardware

Some specialized secure elements used in banking and military contexts reach EAL6+ tamper resistance.

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🎯 Why EAL6+ Matters

EAL6+ exists for situations where:

✔ A breach could endanger national security

✔ Attackers may use highly advanced tools

✔ Hardware must resist physical extraction attempts

✔ Traditional software-only security is not enough

In these scenarios, EAL6+ provides unmatched assurance.

💡 Final Thoughts

Common Criteria EAL6+ represents one of the highest and most respected security certifications on the planet.

It’s far beyond what typical consumer devices require, and achieving it is a monumental challenge.

However, for environments where the stakes are extremely high — military communications, secure cryptographic chips, and critical infrastructure — EAL6+ provides elite-level security designed to withstand even the most well-funded, sophisticated attacks.

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