ISO/IEC 24759:2008 specifies the methods to be used by testing laboratories to test whether a cryptographic module conforms to the requirements specified in ISO/IEC 19790:2006. The methods are developed to provide a high degree of objectivity during the testing process and to ensure consistency across the testing laboratories. Within each subclause of the security requirements clause of ISO/IEC 24759:2008, the corresponding security requirements from ISO/IEC 19790:2006 are divided into a set of assertions (i.e. statements that have to be true for the module to satisfy the requirement of a given area at a given level). All of the assertions are direct quotations from ISO/IEC 19790:2006.

Following each assertion is a set of requirements levied on the vendor. These specify the types of documentation or explicit information that the vendor is required to provide in order for the tester to verify conformance to the given assertion.

Also following each assertion and the requirements levied on the vendor is a set of requirements levied on the tester of the cryptographic module. These specify what the tester needs to do in order to test the cryptographic module with respect to the given assertion.

Vendors can use ISO/IEC 24759:2008 as guidance in trying to verify whether their cryptographic modules satisfy the requirements specified in ISO/IEC 19790:2006 before they apply to the testing laboratory for testing.