Traffic_Light_Protocol
Traffic Light Protocol
System for classifying sensitive information
The Traffic Light Protocol (TLP) is a system for classifying sensitive information created in the early 2000s by the UK Government's National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre, in order to encourage greater sharing of sensitive information.[1]
The fundamental concept is for the originator to signal how widely they want their information to be circulated beyond the immediate recipient. It is designed to improve the flow of information between individuals, organizations or communities in a controlled and trusted way. It is important that everyone who handles TLP-labeled communications understands and obeys the rules of the protocol. Only then can trust be established and the benefits of information sharing realized. The TLP is based on the concept of the originator labeling information with one of four colors to indicate what further dissemination, if any, can be undertaken by the recipient. The recipient must consult the originator if wider dissemination is required.
A number of current specifications for TLP exist.
- From ISO/IEC, as part of the Standard on Information security management for inter-sector and inter-organizational communications[2]
- From US-CERT, which is intended to provide a publicly available simple definition[3]
- From the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), which published version 1.0 of its consolidated TLP document on August 31, 2016.[4] arising from a Special Interest Group it created to ensure that interpretations of TLP are consistent, and clear expectations exist across user communities. FIRST deprecated version 1.0 in August 2022 (though may still be used until 31 December 2022[5]), on the release of version 2.0.[6]