Cybersecurity Certification and Assessment Tools
Cybersecurity regulations are tightening, and the complex demands of the Cybersecurity Act and Cyber Resilience Act present significant challenges for both tech developers and regulators. With this in mind, the EU-funded CCAT project will enhance four academic open-source tools to support continuous security checks and regulatory compliance. These include TLS-Scanner for TLS security, SCRUTINY for cryptographic evaluation, ALVIE for testing embedded systems, and sec-certs for analysing certification landscapes. By adapting these tools for real-world use and aligning them with EU rules, CCAT aims to increase trust and resilience in the digital single market. The aim is also to empower producers, consumers, and regulators to better understand, assess, and improve cybersecurity.
Objective
Cybersecurity regulations are becoming increasingly complex. The Cybersecurity Act (CSA) introduces an EU-wide cybersecurity certification framework, while the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) sets mandatory cybersecurity requirements for products with digital components. A reliable and flexible set of tools is essential for continuous security assessment and navigating these evolving regulations.
In the CCAT project, we propose adapting four open-source tools, developed in academic cybersecurity research, to support the implementation of new regulations: (1) TLS-Scanner for assessing security in TLS clients and servers; (2) SCRUTINY for evaluating cryptographic implementations, software libraries, and hardware, including black-box setups; (3) ALVIE for testing embedded security architectures against vulnerabilities; (4) sec-certs for analysing certification landscapes and evaluating the relationships between certified products and actual vulnerabilities.
CCAT will enhance these tools to meet the needs of various users involved in or dependent on cybersecurity assessment and certification. The CCAT methodology builds upon: (1) Relevant feedback for purpose-driven enhancements enabled by collaboration with users applying the CCAT tools in diverse application scenarios. (2) Robust usable security research exploring and collaboratively improving user interaction with the tools. (3) Aligning the tools with the emerging EU security certification landscape.
CCAT tools aim to empower both ICT producers and consumers, fostering a more transparent, accountable, and resilient digital environment. Regulatory bodies can use these tools to assess the effectiveness of cybersecurity certifications, verify the security of specific implementations, and ensure the EU digital single market cybersecurity.
The project funded under Grant Agreement No. 101225878 is supported by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre.

