Huawei Hongmeng gets EAL6+ highest-level security certificate

On August 15, 2023, Huawei Hongmeng Kernel received the industry’s first Evaluation Assurance Level 6 Augmented (EAL6+) certificate, which is the highest security level in operating system (OS) kernels. With this achievement, Huawei became the world’s first company to receive this certificate in a particular segment. For those who don’t know, Hongmeng is the Chinese name of HarmonyOS. Huawei is using this operating system in smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smart cars, third-party electronics, and industry.

OS kernels are the foundation of OS security and privacy. Technology Security Evaluation (CC), also known as the ISO/IEC 15408 standard, is an information security certification that is among the most influential in the global IT industry. CC is a widely used and globally recognized standard for product security evaluation.

SGS Brightsight, a major security evaluation lab, performed the security evaluation for HongMeng Kernel. Mr. Kai-Fan Chang, COO of Asia of SGS Brightsight, said: “SGS Brightsight, the largest security evaluation lab in the world, is honored to have performed the security evaluation of Huawei’s HongMeng Kernel and found that it reached international Common Criteria EAL6+ level. We believe that HongMeng Kernel will become one of the most important building blocks in future Huawei IoT and mobile products. Securing CC EAL6+ also shows the dedication of Huawei to create secure products.”

Gong Ti, President of Huawei’s Consumer BG Software Engineering Dept, said: “The security capabilities of the HongMeng Kernel are now recognized by internationally accredited certification bodies, reflecting the fact that the HongMeng Kernel has reached the highest security level for OS kernels and bringing device and ICT security to new heights.”

Dr. Michael Lemke, Chief Security Officer of Huawei Germany, stated: “Kernels are the foundation of system security and privacy. Huawei is committed to ensuring security and privacy in the ICT and device domains. Moving forward, Huawei will continue to comply with the shared global standards for foundational software and cyber security and ensure that the security capabilities of Huawei’s products continue to meet internationally recognized best practices.”

CC EAL6+ certificate for Huawei Hongmeng kernel is a new level of industry-wide achievement for Huawei’s cyber security. So far, Huawei has obtained more than 500 certifications under industry-recognized cyber security schemes like CC, FIPS, ISO 19790, PCI DSS, and CSA STAR.

(source)