Special Publication 800-28 Version 2 (Draft) Special Publication 800-28 Version 2 Guidelines on Active Content and Mobile Code Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Wayne A. Jansen Theodore Winograd Karen Scarfone NIST Special Publication 800-28 Version 2 Guidelines on Active Content and Mobile Code (Draft) Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Wayne A. Jansen Theodore Winograd Karen Scarfone Guidelines on Active Content and Mobile Code Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Wayne A. Jansen Theodore Winograd Karen Scarfone C O M P U T E R S E C U R I T Y Computer Security Division Information Technology Laboratory National Institute of St andards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930 March 2008 U.S. Department of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary National Institute of Standards and Technology James M. Turner, Acting Director GUIDELINES ON ACTIVE CONTENT AND MOBILE CODE Reports on Computer Systems Technology The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at th e National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analysis to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities in clude the development of technical, physical, administrative, and management standards and guide lines for the cost-effective security and privacy of sensitive unclassified information in Federal computer systems. This Special Publication 800-series reports on ITL’s research, guidance, and outreach efforts in computer security and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations. Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessa rily the best available for the purpose. National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-28 Version 2 Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 800-28v2, 62 pages (Mar. 2008) iiGUIDELINES ON ACTIVE CONTENT AND MOBILE CODE Acknowledgements The authors, Wayne A. Jansen and Karen Scarfone of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Theodore Winograd of Booz Allen Hamilt on, wish to thank their colleagues who reviewed drafts of this document and contributed to its t echnical content, particularly Tim Grance and Anoop Singhal of NIST, Edward Tracy of Booz Allen Hamilton, and Kurt Dillard. iiiGUIDELINES ON ACTIVE CONTENT AND MOBILE CODE Table of Contents Executive Summary.............................................................................................................. ES-1 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... ...1-1 1.1 Authority...................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 Purpose and Scope .................................................................................................1-1 1.3 Audience..................................................................................................................1-1 1.4 Document Structure .................................................................................................1-2 2. Background ........................................