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Version: 2026.09

Infosec levels

Availability

Infosec levels appear in the product only when both of these are true:

  • Information security classification is enabled for your deployment. This deployment setting controls whether the Infosec Levels page appears under Admin in Settings. If the page is missing, contact your IT administrator.
  • A Platform Administrator (on installations without tenant management, an organization administrator) has turned infosec on from that page.

This capability is experimental and may change.

Infosec levels (information security levels) are an optional classification layer on the Istari Digital Platform. When enabled, every Resource, System, and user carries an ordered classification from a fixed schema (for example U.S. DoD UNCLASSIFIED through TOP_SECRET_SCI). The platform uses those levels together with sharing and roles so users can only view or change data at or below their clearance.

Note: In this page, Resource means any registered model or artifact; clearance is the infosec level assigned to a user by an administrator. See Terminology.

Why does it matter?​

  • Classification-aware collaboration: Teams working with controlled unclassified information (CUI), export-controlled data, or national-security classifications can keep access aligned with policy, not just org membership.
  • Defense in depth: Infosec levels apply on top of sharing and control tags. A user needs the right role, tags (when used), and clearance before the platform grants access.
  • Visible in the product: Classification appears in banners, badges, upload flows, and content viewers so users always know the sensitivity of what they are handling.
  • Enforced server-side: Clearances and resource levels are stored in the registry service and evaluated in the authorization layer alongside permissions and control tags.

How classification is structured​

Schemas​

The platform ships with two classification schemas, chosen once when an administrator first enables infosec levels:

SchemaLevels (lowest to highest)
US DoD (US_DOD)UNCLASSIFIED, CUI, CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET, TOP_SECRET, TOP_SECRET_SCI
Australia (AUS)OFFICIAL, OFFICIAL:SENSITIVE, PROTECTED, SECRET, TOP_SECRET

Each level has an order (zero-based, lowest = least sensitive), a display name, and a color used in the Istari Digital web app. The schema and the enabled state cannot be changed after the first save.

Platform, resource, and user levels​

Three settings define how classification behaves:

  • Platform maximum — The highest level any Resource or System on the installation can carry. A colored global banner in the web app shows this ceiling.
  • Default resource level — Applied to new Resources and Systems that have no explicit assignment, and backfilled for existing objects when infosec is first turned on.
  • User clearance — The highest level a user may view or assign. Administrators set this per user; new users start at the schema's lowest level (UNCLASSIFIED or OFFICIAL).

When you assign a level to a Resource, the web app offers only levels at or below the lowest of the platform maximum, the containing System level (when working inside a System), and your personal clearance. Resource Owners and Administrators can change a Resource's level; raising a level automatically unshares the Resource through any sending connection whose Permitted Infosec Level is below the new classification.

Artifacts cannot be classified above their parent model's level.

Enforcement​

Infosec checks run as part of every permission decision (view, edit, archive, and sharing management). A user must be a cleared member of the Resource's level and all lower levels in the schema. Resources without an explicit assignment inherit the installation's default level.

Infosec levels work alongside control tags. Sharing assigns a role—Viewer, Editor, Administrator, or Owner—which determines what the user may do with the Resource. A control tag on the Resource determines whether that user may access it at all: the user must hold every tag the Resource carries. Infosec adds the clearance check on top of both. See Control Tag.

What Istari users see​

When infosec is enabled for your deployment and turned on by an administrator:

SurfaceWhat appears
Global bannerInstallation maximum level (read-only)
User menu / ProfileYour personal clearance badge
System and file headersShield icon with the Resource's current level
File details paneClassification row with inline editor (when permitted)
Content viewerClassification banner on previews
Upload dialogPer-file level selector (defaults to the installation default; required before upload)
Admin group in SettingsInfosec Levels for platform configuration and user clearance assignment

Key details​

  • Deployment gate: IT enables FILE_SERVICE_FEATURE_FLAGS__INFOSEC_ENABLED on the Istari Registry Service and VITE_INFOSEC_ENABLED on the Istari Digital web app before the feature appears in the product.
  • Two-step enable: After IT sets the deployment flags, a Platform Administrator (on installations without tenant management, an organization administrator) still turns infosec on: they toggle Enable Infosec Levels on the Infosec Levels page and choose a schema, maximum, and default.
  • Cannot disable: Enabling infosec is permanent for the installation, and so is the schema. The maximum and default can change later, within that schema; the default must not exceed the maximum.
  • Max downgrade guard: Lowering the installation maximum fails if any Resource, System, or sending connection already carries a higher level. The maximum dropdown lists every level in the schema, so the error appears only when you save.
  • Applies to: Models, artifacts, systems, and users (clearance). Sharing over sending connections respects the connection's Permitted Infosec Level; a Resource is unshared when its classification rises above that level, or when an administrator lowers the level below the Resource's classification (see Secure Connections).

How to work with infosec levels​

User guide (UI):

Python client (SDK):

Infosec Level, Control Tag, Model, Artifact