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EAL6+ vs EAL5+: Why Hardware Wallet Chip Certification Matters

I spent three years trusting a Ledger Nano S before realizing I had no idea what "secure element" actually meant. The spec sheet said "CC EAL5+ certified" and I assumed that was good enough. Then I started researching hardware wallet attacks and discovered my assumptions were completely wrong.

What Common Criteria EAL Ratings Actually Mean

Common Criteria (CC) is an international security certification standard (ISO/IEC 15408) used to evaluate everything from smartcards to military hardware. The Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) scale runs from EAL1 to EAL7, but most consumer hardware lives in the EAL4–EAL6 range.

Here's what each level requires:

EAL Level	What Gets Tested	Typical Use Case
EAL4	Methodically designed, tested, and reviewed	Payment cards, SIM cards
EAL5	Semi-formally designed and tested	Government ID cards, passport chips
EAL5+	EAL5 + specific attack resistance (AVA_VAN.5)	Most hardware wallets
EAL6	Semi-formally verified design and tested	Military communications, high-security banking

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