Canon U.S.A. Inc., the nation's market share brand leader in black-and-white and color laser copier/printer solutions(1), today announced that the Canon imageRUNNER 2200/2800/3300 Series Software Version iR2200N-USen50.06 with Security Kit B1 has been evaluated and validated in accordance with the provisions of the United States National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) to earn the Common Criteria Certificate: Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 3 for conformance to the Common Criteria for IT Security Evaluation (ISO Standard 15408).

The certification is posted on the NIAP Validated Products List at http://www.niap.nist.gov/cc-scheme/st/ST_VID1010.html.

The EAL 3 is the highest U.S. Common Criteria ranking presented to date for a multifunction product and conforms to National Security Agency (NSA) recommended methods of managing classified documents and securing sensitive information. Canon was officially presented the Common Criteria certificate at the GOVSEC Conference in Washington D.C. on July 29, 2004.

"Earning a U.S. NIAP EAL 3 designation is a true accomplishment for Canon, and is of significant importance to our customer base," said Dennis Amorosano, director and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "The integration of networked, multifunctional devices has revolutionized the document management process across corporate environments - bringing with it greater efficiencies and effectiveness, but also increased security challenges. NIAP's recognition of Canon's ability to safeguard valuable information - both internally and externally - puts Canon's imageRUNNER devices in the unique position of simultaneously delivering U.S. work environments the highest quality MFP solutions with the highest level of security a copier can offer."

The Common Criteria Program is the emerging global standard for information technology security evaluations. ISO 15408 Common Criteria Certification is a recognized worldwide standard that defines security requirements and establishes procedures for evaluating information technology (IT) security. The criteria certification assists in compliance with such U.S. regulatory acts, such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB) for financial privacy, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) for student privacy, as well as assisting in compliance with DOD Directives 8500.1 and 8500.2.

Completed in May 2004, the evaluation, performed under the Common Criteria Evaluation and Validation Scheme (CCEVS), is designed to demonstrate that the Canon imageRUNNER 2200/2800/3300 Series Software Version iR2200N-USen50.06 with Security Kit B1 Sensitive Data Protection product meets the EAL 3 security assurance requirements. Validators on behalf of the CCEVS Validation Body monitored the evaluation carried out by COACT, Inc., an NIST/NIAP authorized and accredited testing laboratory.