A transaction flow approach to software security certification for document handling systems

A security certification method is described for a document handling system for a major government organization. The security evaluation process includes identification of the exposures of the system, determination of the controls that cover those exposures, and evaluation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the controls. Included are the details of the analysis performed and the types of results expected in that analysis, both of which constitute the basic evaluation of the document handling system. The certification analysis approach can be extended naturally to other types of computing systems.