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| Sunday, May 12, 09:03:13pm | [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, [9], 10 ] |
| Subject: Re: Activicard-Common Access Card (CAC)Why Did the DoD Select ActivCard? | |
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Author: Archive 9---100711 |
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Date Posted: Friday, February 07, 09:01:37pm In reply to: 7/2/2003 's message, "Re: recommendendations-several stepsmake it easier for federal agencies to issue smart card IDs to their employees." on Friday, February 07, 08:43:00pm http://www.voy.com/100711/9/361.html ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.activcard.com/activ/newsroom/news/100201_us.html -----------------------------------------------------------  ------------------------------------------------------------ Department of Defense Project is World's Largest Global Smart Card Program CAC Cards Becoming the New Badge for Uniformed Services, Civilian Employees, and Contractors Physical Security Combined with Strong Authentication to Networks, Applications and Data ----------------------------------------------------------- What is the Common Access Card (CAC)? ----------------------------------------------------------- The Common Access Card is the new standard U.S. Department of Defense smart card used as an ID badge to access physical areas and logical systems, as well as to manage medical benefits and other entitlements. For securing communications and transactions, the card contains PKI keys and digital certificates that encrypt and decrypt email, digitally sign email, and enable user authentication - to computers, servers, and Web sites. Multiple DoD departments and agencies are successfully deploying ActivCard solutions for these initiatives driven by legislative mandates and DoD directives. And ActivCard is playing an integral role by protecting against unauthorized access to mission-critical systems -- delivering increased security and streamlined business processes to the U.S. government. ----------------------------------------------------------- Why Did the DoD Select ActivCard? ----------------------------------------------------------- The DoD has initiated an aggressive plan to issue CAC smart cards to over 4 million individuals by October 2002. This group includes uniformed services, selected reserves, DoD civilian employees, and contractors who work inside the firewall - in over 130 countries and over 250 major military installations. In an organization the size of the U.S. Department of Defense, it's a considerable task implementing the infrastructure to ultimately provision, manage, and use 4.3 million multi-application CACs throughout their entire lifecycle. The scale of the project is reflected in the following statement: ----------------------------------------------------------- "We are the biggest employer in the United States. Our 'HR and benefits database' has 23 million records, we have over 250 thousand substantive changes per day to the database. We have special needs." Rob Brandewie Deputy Director DMDC U.S. Department of Defense ----------------------------------------------------------- To issue personalized CACs containing PKI certificates and personnel data, all 1,500 RAPIDS issuance stations must be able to connect to a centrally hosted smart card and digital identity provisioning system. This system must be capable of simultaneous, real-time communications with the DEERS (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) personnel database and the DoD PKI Certificate Authority - which are hosted in two different geographic locations thousands of miles apart from one another. ActivCard uniquely met those technology challenges and stringent performance demands. ----------------------------------------------------------- What Specific ActivCard Products are Involved in the CAC Solution? The Department of Defense has selected ActivCard for two distinctly independent but interoperable solutions. Based on open standards and in compliance with the GSA specifications, ActivCard infuses the entire CAC infrastructure including: ----------------------------------------------------------- Smart Card Usage Software - ActivCard GoldTM for CAC client software Smart Card Issuance Software - ActivCard Smart Card and Digital Identity Provisioning System First, our Provisioning System (known within the government as the "Issuance Portal") is used by the DMDC to issue all chip-based cards to end users throughout the DoD - to remotely initialize, personalize, and manage user credentials and applications pre and post-issuance. Federation enables more than one DoD department to own and administer their department-specific applications and data on a single card. ------------------------------------------------------------ Second, our end-user workstation software, ActivCard Gold, is deployed by components of the DoD such as the U.S. Army, Department of the Navy, and the Space and Naval Weapons Command (SPAWAR) to enable smart card use for network login, digital signature, and employee information management. Managed digital identity is at the core of those consolidated services. ----------------------------------------------------------- How Does the DoD Experience Apply to the Business Sector? The DoD has recognized the dual benefits of increased security and return on investment that result from consolidation of multiple user credentials on a single card. The same business advantages are affirmed by leading commercial enterprises. Hewlett-Packard®, Sun® Microsystems, British Telecom, Citigroup® and Cable & Wireless are among the industry leaders embarking on large-scale smart card deployments with ActivCard as their partner. They've selected ActivCard as the premier vendor capable of addressing the lifecycle complexities of provisioning smart cards for identity management. The DoD and these commercial enterprises have, at their foundation, our technology for a secure online private connection to a user's smart card. Thus, management of the card content and the relationship of the individual user to systems and network services can occur pre or post issuance of the card. Multiple applications on a single smart card increase flexibility and personalization for the cardholder, and enable the corporation to allocate costs among multiple projects. ActivCard supports a new generation of employee ID badges, customer care, business partner relations, and resulting revenue opportunity. ----------------------------------------------------------- What is Digital Identity? ----------------------------------------------------------- Digital identity as delivered by ActivCard to the Department of Defense is the critical feature for the future of network computing and the Internet as a business tool. ActivCard is setting the industry standard infrastructure to manage and deploy a solution that confirms with confidence the validity of online transactions and the identity of individuals involved in those exchanges. Without the ability to precisely verify who it is they are dealing with online, there is a reluctance to move critical systems and services to public networks. Unlike anytime in history, the Internet offers organizations the opportunity to re-engineer processes and gain unprecedented return on investment. Enterprises can utilize public networks to streamline communications, deliver services and automate transactions between their employees, customers, vendors, and suppliers. They gain the competitive advantage of improved information flow, automated systems and increased customer communication. ------------------------------------------------------------ What are the Benefits of Consolidating Credentials on One Identification Card? ------------------------------------------------------------ The CAC is a personalized physical ID badge with the user's picture, name, rank, and other Geneva Convention demographics. Those traditional physical attributes of the card combined with ActivCard technology enable migration and consolidation of multiple credentials and applications onto a single personal computing device: ------------------------------------------------------------ Integrate a variety of physical and logical access services into a single system Streamline the issuance and management of personal data and credentials Eliminate the costs of funding separate programs, managing separate databases, and allocating separate administrative resources How is PKI More Secure When Deployed with ActivCard Technology? ----------------------------------------------------------- When PKI keys are provisioned, they are securely loaded to the card using an Open Platform-compliant secure channel so communications of key pairs cannot be intercepted. PKI private keys for email signing and user authentication are generated, stored, and processed on the CAC. Thus, the user's private keys never leave this secure card environment. This provides a higher level of security because the keys are not stored on a disk or hard drive where they are susceptible to unauthorized access or tampering. ------------------------------------------------------------ How are Biometrics Used with the CAC Solution? ------------------------------------------------------------ The Air Force is currently piloting and planning to deploy biometric technologies in combination with ActivCard Gold for CAC smart cards. Biometrics provide a higher degree of security via two-factor authentication (insert card and present fingerprint) or three-factor authentication (insert card, enter PIN, and present fingerprint). "PIN reset" and "PIN replacement" are two of the applications the Air Force is testing. ------------------------------------------------------------ ActivCard has partnered with leading biometric vendors to deliver the first and only Open Platform-compliant match-on-card biometric authentication. With this unique solution, not only is the fingerprint template stored in the smart card, the presented fingerprint is matched and verified on the card. Other vendors send the fingerprint identifier to the PC and match it there. This method is less secure because the biometric is exposed to the PC environment. With ActivCard, those credentials never leave the secure environment of the smart card. ----------------------------------------------------------- What are the Benefits to the Cardholder? ----------------------------------------------------------- Because the credentials are on the card - not on the PC - the user now has mobility. This portability of the smart card form factor is a distinct advantage in the DoD environment where uniformed service personnel in certain circumstances share common workstations. ----------------------------------------------------------- Confidence in the security of personal information is assured for cardholders via two-factor authentication. To access valuable applications and data, one must have the smart card and know the PIN (Personal Identification Number) associated with the card. Thus if misplaced or stolen, the card is of no value to unauthorized individuals. ------------------------------------------------------------ And finally, ActivCard delivers the ease-of-use and convenience of the ATM experience by enabling multiple digital identity services for the user. No matter what network service the user is accessing, the experience is the same - insert the card, enter the PIN, and get streamlined access to personalized network services. ------------------------------------------------------------ For more information, download the DoD Case Study ------------------------------------------------------------ [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Re:ERG announced Proton establishment/venture/ ActivCard/code:ACTI/ | October 2001high security and identity markets. | Saturday, February 08, 10:52:02am |
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