Security Attribute

A security-related quality of an object. Security attributes may be represented as hierarchical levels, bits in a bit map, or numbers. Compartments, caveats, and release markings are examples of security attributes.

1. Information, other than cryptographic keys, that is needed to establish and describe the protection mechanisms that secure the communications between two entities. [After X9.41] 2. A security attribute is a piece of security information which is associated with an entity in a distributed system [ECMA138]. 3. Attributes associated with processes and files and used to determine access rights of a subject to an object [POSIX.6].