STANAG 4774 and 4778 are ratified standards and part of the NATO labeling approach within the NATO DCS initiative.
STANAG 4774 defines the syntax for a Confidentiality Label, used for labelling numerous data objects (profiles exist for SOAP, REST, SMTP, XMPP, Office Open XML, OPC and sidecar files). STANAG 4778 defines how a Confidentiality Label is bound to the data, and using cryptographic techniques ensures the integrity of the label and the data.
The Confidentiality Label includes the traditional classification and caveats seen in email labelling and critically now includes additional metadata; the creator of the label, the creation time and the expiry time are examples of the additional metadata criteria that are included with the label.
The use of this Confidentiality Label allows the data to have a clearly defined owner, facilitates the sharing of data and provides a level of data assurance knowing the source and integrity of the data can be quickly determined.