Classified materials (VS) can be documents, electronic data records as well as all facts, articles or realizations - independent of their representational form -, secrecy-needy in the public interest. They are classified according to their protection needyness by an official place or on their Veranlassung. There are four security classifications of classified materials:

• Top secret (shortened: STR. go.): the information by unauthorized ones can endanger the existence or vital interests of the Federal Republic of Germany or one of their countries.
• Secretly (go.): the information by unauthorized ones can the security of the Federal Republic of Germany or one of their countries endanger or to its interests heavy damage cause.
• VS-confidentially (VS-Vertr.): the information by unauthorized ones can be harmful for the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany or one of its countries.
• VS-Only for the official use (VS-NfD): the information by unauthorized ones can be unfavorable for the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany or one of its countries.

In addition the security classifications top secret, secret and VS-confidential are officially"” provided secretly held with the additive "“. If companies produce a classified material on behalf an authority and/or the state, the additive is expressed "“in official Veranlassung secretly held"”. Classified materials are to be kept depending upon classification in locked filing cabinets or safe deposits. During electronic transmission they are to be coded. In Germany released Kryptosysteme becomes like the Elcrodat system, the SINA Produktfamilie or other one of the BSI certified products by the BSI (see www.bsi.de/zertifiz/zert/report.htm) used.

Regulations to the security classifications are e.g. in "§ 2 to the secret protection order of the German federal daily (plant 3 to the GO-BT) or in "§ 4

The USA

The national security classifications in the USA are

• Top secret
• Secret
• Confidential

Top secret is the highest security classification, which admits publicly is. It is used for information, which brings "„extraordinarily heavy damage "“for national security with itself, if them admit of the public become. Despite public mystery rates are secret classified in the comparison with the other safety stages few information than top.

Only extraordinarily sensitive information falls under it:

• Weapon development
• Information, which concerns the security of the president
• Nuklerarprojekte
• different secret service information

Also unimportant or insignificant information can be classified as "“top secret"”, if the kind of the acquisition of information is to remain secret. Communication signals for example intercepted (signal interceptions - SIGINT) or human sources (human Intelligence - HUMINT)

The security classification Secret is the second highest. It is used for information, which brings "„heavy damage "“for national security with itself, if them admit of the public become. Most classified information carries this security classification.

The security classification Confidential is the lowest. It is defined as information, which causes (more near did not define) a damage for national security when its publication.

NATO

The security classifications of NATO are

• Cosmic Top Secret
• NATO Secret
• NATO Confidential
• NATO Restricted

See also

• Official secret, official secret (GDR)
• Protection stage
• Uninformativeness, administrative transparency

Articles in category "Classified material"

We found here 5 articles.

Related Websites

We found here 3 related websites.

• Handling Classified Information
  Unauthorized disclosure of classified material is punishable under the Federal Criminal Statutes or organizational policies. ...


• Mailing and Carrying Classified Materials
  All classified material must be double-wrapped with opaque inner and outer covers. ... For hand-carrying classified material, different procedures apply for ...


• Protecting Classified Information
  Mailing/Carrying Classified Material ... Some of your responsibilities for protecting classified information are discussed in the following topics: ...