> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.era-wallet.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # EAL6+ on a Hardware Wallet Box: What It Actually Means - and What It Doesn't - URL: https://blog.era-wallet.com/eal6-on-a-hardware-wallet-box-what-it-actually-means-and-what-it-doesnt/ - Published: 2026-06-26T10:20:29.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-07T09:34:48.000Z - Author: ERA WALLET If you've ever shopped for a hardware wallet, you've seen it: *"*Secure Element, EAL6+ Certified"** On the box, on the website, in a comparison table where the competitor with EAL5+ looks like a budget option. Most buyers read this as "military-grade protection" and move on. **That's a mistake**. And a costly one - literally. This article breaks down what EAL actually means, how the rating is assigned, and why the standard itself explicitly prohibits using it as a security guarantee. ### What Are Common Criteria and EAL? **Common Criteria** is the international standard for evaluating the security of IT products. Its official designation is **ISO/IEC 15408**. It has been adopted by 31 countries, including the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. It is a standard, not a certification body - evaluations are conducted by accredited independent laboratories. **EAL (Evaluation Assurance Level)** is a scale within Common Criteria ranging from 1 to 7\. The number indicates **how deeply** a product was examined during the evaluation. Not how secure it is - how deeply it was examined. The distinction is fundamental. And this is not an interpretation - it is the verbatim language of the standard itself. ### What ISO/IEC 15408 Actually Says About EAL - Exact Quote Here is what is written directly in the standard ISO/IEC 15408-1:2022 (Part 1: Introduction and general model): **"The higher the level of evaluation, the more security assurance tests the product would have undergone; however, this does not guarantee that the product is more secure."** \- ISO/IEC 15408-1:2022, official standard text Source: [iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso-iec:15408:-1:ed-4:v1:en](http://iso.org/obp/ui/?ref=blog.era-wallet.com#iso:std:iso-iec:15408:-1:ed-4:v1:en) The manufacturer prints "EAL6+" on the box. The authors of the standard under which that certificate is issued state that it **does not guarantee** higher security. ### What Is Actually Evaluated During Certification EAL measures the **development process**, not the final security level of the device. Here is what is examined at each level: ![Контент статьи](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4D12AQGBhBR_9PtIKQ/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488/B4DZ7.wvewKoAI-/0/1782390651052?e=1784160000&v=beta&t=2Ri-dke1l0QzOD9q_qNHx74amMaKYXbooqYeBfcO_qA) The key point: at every level, the evaluator checks whether the **documented processes match the stated requirements**. They do not search for new vulnerabilities outside the defined scope - they verify that the company did what it claimed to do. ### An Analogy: What EAL Actually Resembles Think of an accreditation system for construction companies. - **EAL1** \- the company showed it has a building plan. - **EAL4** \- an independent inspector reviewed the blueprints, logs, and procedures. Everything complies with building codes. - **EAL7** \- it has been mathematically proven that every structural element meets the calculated load specifications. But none of these levels answers the question: **will the building survive a magnitude 8 earthquake if such earthquakes were not included in the original specification?** EAL certifies the process. Nature doesn't read documentation. ### A Real Case: 14 Years, 80 Certifications - Nobody Noticed In September 2024, researchers at NinjaLab published a vulnerability called **EUCLEAK**. The **Infineon SLE78** chip - one of the most widely used secure elements in hardware wallets, biometric passports, and bank cards - contained a flaw in its ECDSA implementation. Specifically: non-constant-time execution of a modular inversion operation created a side-channel leak that allowed a private key to be extracted in a few minutes of electromagnetic analysis with physical access to the device. The vulnerability had existed since the chip's release in 2010\. During that time, the chip passed **approximately 80 Common Criteria certification evaluations** at levels AVA VAN 4 and AVA VAN 5 - equivalent to EAL5+ and EAL6+. Nobody noticed. Source: [ninjalab.io/eucleak](http://ninjalab.io/eucleak?ref=blog.era-wallet.com) This is not an anomaly. It is a structural limitation: certification evaluates a documented set of threats at the time of evaluation. New attack methods that emerge after the certificate is issued are not covered under the existing certification. ### Three Things EAL Does Not Cover ### 1\. The Wallet's Firmware EAL certifies the **chip** (Secure Element), not the firmware running on it. A wallet with an EAL6+ chip can still contain firmware vulnerabilities - those fall outside the scope of certification. ### 2\. User Behavior According to Chainalysis, in the first half of 2025, 59% of all crypto losses stemmed from access control failures - phishing, social engineering, and signing malicious transactions. An EAL6+ chip does not help if the user pressed "confirm" themselves. ### 3\. Post-Update Validity A certificate is issued for a specific version of a product. A firmware update technically creates a new product that does not necessarily undergo re-evaluation. This means the firmware currently running on your device may never have been certified. ### What Actually Matters When Choosing a Hardware Wallet EAL is not a useless metric. But it is one signal among several - not the primary criterion. ### ✅ Checklist: How to Read Certification Correctly - **EAL speaks to process, not outcome.** Treat it as one indicator, not a guarantee. - **Find out the specific chip model.** Not just "EAL6+", but the exact part: STMicroelectronics ST33K1M5, Infineon OPTIGA Trust M, ATECC608C - then check CVE databases for that chip over the past two years. - **The certificate applies to a specific version.** Firmware updates may not undergo re-evaluation. - **EAL does not cover firmware.** A public security audit of the firmware by an independent firm (Keylabs, Trail of Bits, Cure53) is a separate and important signal. ### ✅ Checklist: What to Verify Beyond EAL - **Blind signing protection:** does the device screen show full transaction details - address, amount, contract - rather than just a hash? - **Company track record:** how long have they been in the market, and is there a history of disclosed and patched vulnerabilities? - **Independent security audit:** has the firmware been audited by a recognized third-party security firm? ### Conclusion EAL is not a security rating. It is a scale measuring the depth of process evaluation under ISO/IEC 15408. The standard itself states explicitly: a higher EAL does not guarantee that a product is more secure. This does not mean certification is worthless. It means it does exactly what it was designed to do: confirm that a manufacturer followed documented processes at the time of evaluation. Real security is built from multiple layers: chip quality, company transparency, user behavior - and a clear understanding of what you are actually protecting against. The number on the box is the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it. Ready to protect your crypto? [Discover ERA Wallet ](https://era-wallet.com/?utm%5Fsource=blog&utm%5Fmedium=cta%5Fbutton&utm%5Fcampaign=eal%5Fcertification%5Farticle&utm%5Fcontent=button%5Fbottom) [▶ Watch Reviews ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLLCklmpP5-U&ref=blog.era-wallet.com) Use promocode ERABLOG20 for 20% off --- *Sources:* - *ISO/IEC 15408-1:2022 -* [*iso.org*](https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/?ref=blog.era-wallet.com#iso:std:iso-iec:15408:-1:ed-4:v1:en) - *NinjaLab, EUCLEAK (2024) -* [*ninjalab.io/eucleak*](https://ninjalab.io/eucleak/?ref=blog.era-wallet.com) - *Chainalysis, Mid-Year Crypto Crime Report 2025sec-certs, ScienceDirect (2024)*