Chief Information Officer
IC Technical Specifications
Information Security Marking Metadata
Overview
This XML Data Encoding Specification for Information Security Markings (ISM.XML) defines detailed implementation guidance for using XML to encode Information Security Markings (ISM.XML) data. This Data Encoding Specification (DES) defines the XML elements and attributes, associated structures and relationships, mandatory and cardinality requirements, and permissible values for representing security markings and Need-to-Know (NTK) data concepts using XML, and for wrapping security markings and NTK attributes together in an Access Rights and Handling (ARH) XML container.
This standard supports Executive Order (EO) 13526, Classified National Security Information which “prescribes a uniform system for classifying, safeguarding, and declassifying national security information”, across national security disciplines, networks, services, and data.
This standard is a critical technical bridge between:
- Security marking requirements defined by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)/Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO),
- IC security markings register maintained by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)/Controlled Access Program Coordination Office (CAPCO), and
- Information technology solutions that implement structured security marking metadata.
Compliance with this specification is measured against all aspects of the technical and documentary artifacts contained within the specification release package.
This specification changed names and numeric designators multiple times since its inception in the late 1990's.
The IC Chief Information Officer maintains this specification via the Data Coordination Activity (DCA) and Common Metadata Standards Tiger Team (CMSTT).
Technical Specification Downloads
Latest Approved Public Release:
- XML Data Encoding Specification for Information Security Markings (V2021-NOVr2022-NOV -Standalone Package)
- XML Data Encoding Specification for Information Security Markings (V2021-NOVr2022-NOV -Convenience Package)
- XML Data Encoding Specification for Information Security Markings (V2021-NOVr2022-NOV -Light Package)
Mission Requirements
Information sharing within the national intelligence enterprise will increasingly rely on information assurance metadata (including information security markings) to allow interagency access control, automated exchanges, and appropriate protection of shared intelligence when necessary.
A structured, verifiable representation of security marking metadata bound to the intelligence data is required in order for the enterprise to become inherently “smarter” about the information flowing in and around it. Such a representation, when implemented with other data formats, improved user interfaces, and data processing utilities, can provide part of a larger, robust information assurance infrastructure capable of automating some of the management and exchange decisions today being performed by human beings.
Throughout the intelligence life cycle, the enterprise needs:
- User interfaces and processing logic that helps users and services to reliably assign and manipulate information security markings at the portion and document level.
- Automated rendering of electronic portion markings, security banners, classification authority blocks, and other security control markings in accordance with the IC's classification and control marking system and associated executive orders, statutes, and DNI policies.
- Marking validation to ensure controlled values and business rules are followed.
- Cross-domain discovery, access, and dissemination capabilities based on access policy logic that leverages electronic security markings along with other key metadata about users, services, clearances, and access environments.
Chief Information Officer
IC Technical Specifications
Information Resource Metadata
Data Encoding Specifications for Information Resource Metadata
Overview
There are two IC enterprise data encoding specifications available for information resource metadata (IRM):
- The first IRM encoding specification is an XML implementation. This specification defines XML elements and attributes, associated structures and relationships, mandatory and cardinality requirements, permissible values, and constraint rules for representing electronic information resource metadata records.
- The second IRM encoding specification is an HTML implementation. This specification defines HTML meta name/content attribute pairs, mandatory and cardinality requirements, and permissible values for representing information resource metadata within an HTML page posted on Intelink. This specification has been in use on Intelink for many years and is known by different names, such as IC HTML.
Compliance with these specifications are measured against all aspects of the technical and documentary artifacts contained within the specification release package.
The IC Chief Information Officer maintains this specification via the Data Coordination Activity (DCA) and Common Metadata Standards Tiger Team (CMSTT).
Technical Specification Downloads
Latest Approved Public Release:
- XML Data Encoding Specification for Information Resource Metadata (V2021-NOV - Standalone Package)
- XML Data Encoding Specification for Information Resource Metadata (V2021-NOV - Convenience Package)
- XML Data Encoding Specification for Information Resource Metadata (V2021-NOV - Light Package)
Mission Requirements
The IC desires improved capabilities to allow users and systems to discover and access a wide-range of information resources throughout the enterprise regardless of format, type, location, or classification. Making information resources visible, accessible, and understandable will go a long way towards achieving this desire.
Employing a consistent “digital” description (metadata) for all information resources provides enterprise-wide discovery and processing capabilities additional levels of producer-generated summary information that can be used to, among other functions:
- Analyze basic descriptive information across information resources of different formats, types, locations, or classifications.
- Understand who produced the information, when it was published, and what topics are addressed.
- Generate and correlate production metrics in order to better understand collection and analytic postures.
- Further protect the information from undesired dissemination based on classification or need-to-know.
Information resource metadata is commonly incorporated directly into and exchanged with an information resource, such as document properties found within most word processing or imagery formats. Information resource metadata may also be exchanged by itself in situations when the information resource itself cannot be shared, as part of a search result set, or when two library systems are exchanging bibliographic records.
IC Chief Information Officer
Contact Information
We are very interested in hearing your views on issues of importance to you.
Please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions, comments, and concerns of interest to the IC technical standards.
Someone from the Technical Specifications team will respond to your email. As always, we thank you for your time and continued collaboration.
Chief Information Officer
IC Technical Specifications
Enterprise Audit
Overview
This XML Data Encoding Specification for Enterprise Audit Exchange (AUDIT.XML) defines detailed specifications for using Extensible Markup Language (XML) to encode AUDIT.XML data in compliance with the Intelligence Community Abstract Data Definition (IC.ADD). This Data Encoding Specification (DES) defines the XML elements and attributes, associated structures and relationships, mandatory and cardinality requirements, and permissible values for representing AUDIT.XML data concepts using XML.
This technical specification is linked to Intelligence Community Standard 500-27, Collection and Sharing of Audit Data for Intelligence Community (IC) Information Resources by IC Elements. The technical specification detailed herein is the codification of the payload of an audit record exchange as defined in 500-27. The architecture, interface specifications, design, and implementation of the enterprise audit collection and exchange services are outside the scope of this technical specification. This technical specification only applies to the payload of an audit record exchange.
Compliance with this specification is measured against all aspects of the technical and documentary artifacts contained within the specification release package.
This specification is maintained by the IC Chief Information Officer via the Data Coordination Activity (DCA) and Common Metadata Standards Tiger Team (CMSTT).
Technical Specification Downloads
Latest Approved Public Release:
Chief Information Officer
IC Technical Specifications
The successes of our intelligence, defense, homeland security, and law enforcement missions are critically dependent on information producers and consumers being able to share, manage, discover, retrieve, and access information across national and international boundaries.
To automate the enterprise, data, service, network, and information assurance architecture and engineering efforts must come together in response to defined mission and business requirements. The enterprise data specifications below are the result of IC collaboration and coordination in response to public law, executive orders, DNI policy and guidance, and change requests submitted by IC elements.
Data Encoding Specifications
The following data encoding specifications define agreed upon digital encodings or formats for information being shared or exchanged within the enterprise. These specifications are optimized for consistent and efficient processing within software, systems, or service applications.
These specifications should be viewed as component modules. Many of the specifications are tightly integrated and dependent on each other. They can be integrated into other data encoding specifications or profiled (i.e., configured or constrained) to achieve a particular mission or business objective. They may also serve in a standalone role as an encodings for exchange payloads within a web services environment.
Each version of an IC enterprise data encoding specification is individually registered in the IC Enterprise Standards Baseline (implemented via the IC Standards Registry (ICSR)). The registry citations address the prescriptive status and validity period for each new version. Data Encoding Specifications exist for the following types of data:
- Abstract Data Definition
- Abstract Data Definition for Electronic Records Management
- Access Rights and Handling
- Analysis Assertion
- Body Of Evidence
- Authority Category
- Community Shared Resources
- Contextual Entity Markup
- Cross Domain System Manifest Assertion
- Cross Domain System Manifest TDF
- Data Element Definition
- DigitalHazMat Assertion
- DigitalHazMat TDF
- DigitalHazMat Commercial TDF
- Document and Media Exploitation
- DoD Discovery Metadata
- Electronic Records Management
- Enterprise Audit
- Fine Access Control
- Geopolitical Entities, Names, and Codes
- Information Resource Metadata
- Information Security Marking Access
- Information Security Marking Country
- Information Security Marking Metadata
- Information Transport Service Messaging Service
- Information Transport Service - Organizational Messaging
- Intelligence Community Docbook
- Intelligence Community Access Control
- Intelligence Community Enterprise Data Header
- Intelligence Community Identifier
- Intelligence Community Only Need to Know
- Intelligence Community Specification Framework
- Intelligence Discipline
- Intelligence Publications
- License
- Media Type Controlled Vocabulary
- Mission Need
- Mission Need Taxonomy
- Multi Audience Collections
- Multi Audience Tearline
- Need-To-Know Metadata
- Need-To-Know Access Control Encoding Specification
- ORCON Need-To-Know Access
- Production Metrics
- Production Metrics Assertion
- Revision Recall
- Role
- Rollup Guidance for ISM
- Source Citations
- Trusted Data Format
- Trusted Data Format - Base
- US Agency Acronym
- US Government Agency
- Unified Identity Attribute Set
- Unified Identity Attribute Set - Attribute Practice Compliance Statements
- Virtual Coverage
- Whitelist Guidance for ISM
Service Specifications
- CDR: Atom Results Set
- CDR: Brokered Search
- CDR: Deliver
- CDR: Manage Component
- CDR: Query Management
- CDR: Retrieve
- CDR: Search
- CDR: Reference Architecture
- CDR: Specification Framework
- CDR: Keyword Query Language
- IdAM: Full Service Directory
- RR: End-to-End Identity Propagation
- RR: Security Markings
- WSS High Level Guidance
- WSS XML Signature and XML Encryption
- WSS Guidance: Token Services
We are very interested in hearing your views on issues of importance to you. We encourage you to contact us with any questions, comments, and concerns of interest to the Intelligence Community Data Coordination Activity (Data Activity). Someone from the Data Activity staff will respond to your email.
As always, we thank you for your time and continued collaboration through the Data Activity.