TSE K 523

TSE K 523 is a criteria standard for classifying information assets according to their confidentiality levels. In information management, the key issue is that not every asset deserves the same degree of protection; this standard focuses on making that distinction for information assets belonging to public institutions and organizations as well as natural and legal persons.

Why confidentiality levels are treated as a separate classification topic

Information assets may include documents, records, datasets, electronic content, and other carriers of business or administrative information. Confidentiality classification helps distinguish what should be access-restricted, what requires controlled sharing, and what can circulate more broadly. In general technical terms, this reflects a core principle of information security management: protection measures should be based not only on technology, but also on the business value of information and the risk of unauthorized disclosure.

What the covered context means in practice

The standard supports a common classification logic for information assets used in different legal and institutional settings. The referenced legislation and related regulations underline why careful separation is needed between personal data, publicly releasable information, organizational secrets, official correspondence, and security-sensitive information. In environments such as electronic document and archive management systems, such classification provides the basis for consistent access rights, retention, sharing, and protection measures.

In broader technical context, confidentiality levels consider an asset’s value, sensitivity, and the possible impact of unauthorized disclosure. The aim is to apply an appropriate protection level rather than treating all information assets under a single security approach.