This document is designed to assist government users in implementing cost-effective security in their information technology environments. It is a technical-level standard for the protection of classified and designated information stored, processed, or communicated on electronic data processing equipment. Sections of the standard cover the seven basic components of information technology security: administrative and organizational security, personnel security, physical and environmental security, hardware security, communications security, software security, and operations security. The appendices list standards for marking of media or displays, media sanitization, and re-use of media where confidentiality is a concern.

This document is designed to assist users in implementing cost-effective security in their information technology (IT) environment. It sets out the detailed administrative, technical, and procedural safeguards required in an IT environment in order to implement the requirements of the security policy of the Government of Canada. The document contains technical level standards for the protection of classified and designated information stored, processed, or communicated on electronic data processing equipment.