Fact Sheet

Verification

seL4 is the only kernel with inspectable proofs of deep properties down to the implementation

  • Formal, mathematical, machine-checked proofs
  • 1.3 million lines of proofs
  • 0 violations of verified properties since proof completed in 2009; Continually maintained and updated; No code change without proof validation
  • Deep properties: Functional Correctness, Binary Correctness, Integrity proof, Confidentiality (Absence of unauthorised information flows)
  • Beyond Common Criteria EAL7, ISO26262 ASIL-D or DO-178C Level A certification requirements for development
  • Open source proofs, for anyone to inspect and build on

Performance

seL4 is 2 to 10 times faster than other comparable systems

  • Outperforms any other microkernels on key benchmarks
  • Achieves high assurance without compromising performance
  • Supports a wide range of real-world use cases

Features

seL4 is the only verified general-purpose, capability-based operating system

  • General purpose: can run as a hypervisor or as an RTOS, or both, or as the basis for a general purpose OS
  • Capability-based: provides fine-grained access control and can isolate trusted components
  • Cyber-retrofit: can be incrementally integrated to existing legacy systems
  • Lightweight: small footprint, low overhead, fast context switch