This page demonstrates that the concepts and constructs embodied by the Trustmark Framework (TMF) can be mapped elegantly onto all of the critical aspects of the Assertion-Based Architecture (ABA).
Aspect of ABA |
TMF Mapping |
| Machine-Readable Assertion Definitions (ADs) and Assertion Profiles (APs) for Expressing Trust Requirements in Context-Neutral (Componentized) and Context-Specific (Bundled) Forms (source) | The TMF supports Trustmark Definitions (TDs) and Trust Interoperability Profiles (TIPs), which conform to a normative technical specification and are machine-readable. |
| Machine-Readable Assertions for Expressing Proof of Compliance with Trust Requirements in a Tamperproof, Trustworthy Format (source) | The TMF supports trustmarks, which conform to a normative technical specification, are machine-readable, and contain digital signatures to prevent tampering. |
| A Suitable Legal Framework for Issuing and Relying Upon Assertions (source) | The TMF includes a legal framework that supports the issuance, use, and reliance upon trustmarks. This framework has been vetted and deemed acceptable for operational use by attorneys from numerous government agencies and their information sharing partners across the U.S. state and local law enforcement community. |
| Content-Agnostic Framework that Enables Expression of Trust Requirements Based on Any Source Material (source) | The TMF is content-agnostic by design. It inherently supports the expression of any type of trust requirement, as long as (1) the requirement is expressible in normative language (e.g., using “must”, “shall”, “must not”, etc.) and (2) the criteria for assessing satisfaction of the requirement are expressible in a series of yes/no questions (e.g., “Does the agency do ‘x’?”). |
| An Assertion Authoring and Publishing Capability (AAPC) for Enabling ISE Sub-Communities to Develop and Publish ADs and APs to Express their Trust Requirements (source) | TDs and TIPs are ideally suited for use within the AAPC, as they are machine-readable and specification-conformant. |
| An Assertion Assessor Capability (AAC) for Enabling Formal Assessments of Compliance with Trust Requirements and Publication of Assertions Based on Assessment Results (source) | The TMF’s model of trustmark assessment and issuance is ideally suited to support the AAC for both self-assessments and third-party assessments. |
| An Assertion Operational Infrastructure Capability (AOIC) for Enabling Automated Assertion-Based Trust Policy Enforcement and Automated Partner Discovery (source) | Trustmarks, TDs, and TIPs are ideally suited to support these automation features. TDs and TIPs are ideal for expressing trust policies, and trustmarks can be easily bound to system endpoints to support automated assessment of a system’s compliance with a trust policy. |
| An Information Sharing Agreement Builder Capability (ABC) for Enabling ISE Participants to Rapidly Develop Machine-Readable Information Sharing Agreements with Partner Agencies (source) | The TMF does not directly address information sharing agreements, but TDs and TIPs are ideally suited for use in expressing the underlying trust requirements placed upon each participating entity within an information sharing agreement. |
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