System and method for protecting data with multiple independent levels of security

A data security system includes a single central processing unit (CPU), a plurality of different security zones corresponding to different levels of security classification, a plurality of operating systems, a communications interface, a global zone, and a memory coupled to the plurality of security zones and the global zone. The CPU includes a plurality of processing cores and each security zone is associated with a different one of the processing cores. The global zone is communicatively coupled to the communications interface and the plurality of security zones, and is associated with a different one of the processing cores than the plurality of security zones. The global zone directs communications between the communications interface and the plurality of security zones. Each processing core executes a separate one of the plurality of operating systems, thereby providing separate processing capability on the single CPU for each of the different levels of security classification.