Tough, Tested and Certified - Entrust's PIV Smartcards Earn Pair of Trusted FIPS Certifications

DALLAS, Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrust Inc. finalized a pair of government approvals with FIPS 201 and FIPS 140 certifications for the company's PIV smartcard credential technology, which was reviewed, tested and certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

These strict certifications demonstrate interoperability with established NIST standards, making them more reliable for governments, private organizations, banks or enterprises deploying security solutions in multivendor environments. To ensure a seamless deployment, many organizations will only purchase solutions that carry certain certifications.

"These certifications demonstrate Entrust's ongoing commitment to high security standards, particularly for large-scale identity authentication and credentialing interoperability," said Entrust President and CEO Bill Conner. "This achievement provides organizations across the world the assurances they need to deploy Entrust solutions and services with confidence and unwavering trust."

Based on strict standards set by the U.S. government, these certifications help ensure interoperability by vetting protocol conformance for smartcards (FIPS 201) and testing cryptography strengths (FIPS 140). These approvals complement and support Entrust's existing Common Criteria EAL 5 certification.

Reviewed by the NIST Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Platform Validation Authority, FIPS 201 certification focuses on interoperability between the PIV application and other parts of the PIV solution, including physical access readers and logical access clients. The strict certification also verifies the smartcard can withstand many years of rigorous wear and tear (e.g., being in a wallet or attached to a lanyard). To address the aspect of physical durability, Entrust relies upon advanced third-party antenna designs that support extended lifespans.

FIPS 140 certification ensures a given solution meets or exceeds U.S. government security standards that specify requirements for cryptography modules and physical tamper-resistance. An example includes testing the elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) implementation used within the solution.

The PIV standard outlines tested and approved systems that support a common smartcard-based platform for managing the identity, and then using that identity for digital signatures, encryption and authentication to multiple types of physical and logical access environments. Smartcards carry and manage the digital identity of the cardholder, protecting the theft of the identity through sophisticated hardware technology.

Entrust also includes additional extensions that enable a new level of customization and versatility within a private environment. Two of the more requested capabilities include PIN unblocking and the ability to execute over-the-air (OTA) tasks on mobile devices. All extensions are configurable and add convenience and customization unrivaled in the market.

"Entrust has long been committed to providing credentialing solutions that are compliant to the necessary PIV standards," said Conner. "Adding additional capabilities and conveniences, however, provides organizations unmatched versatility to achieve identity-based security standards that are a perfect match for their organization and overall goals."

Entrust has established relationships with a leading smartcard vendor to offer PIV credentialing solutions for state governments, private sectors and other non-federal organizations who need identity credentials that are issued in a manner that facilitates trust and technical interoperability with the U.S. federal PIV smartcard standard. Entrust smartcard solutions leverage the latest chip technology for fast, secure performance.

For upgrading organizations, Entrust incorporates advanced technology to allow for easy migration away from outdated legacy systems by simultaneously supporting old and new technology.

For additional convenience, Entrust also provides organizations a PIV-compatible credential that may be placed directly on mobile devices. Entrust's Mobile Smart Credential technology provides PIV authentication, encryption and digital signing without incurring typical deployment costs (e.g., card production and shipping). When the Entrust Mobile Smart Credential application is downloaded from the Apple, Google Play or BlackBerry application stores, and personalized with an identity, it is designed to mirror the behavior of a standard PIV smartcard.

Entrust is one of only a handful of PKI vendors approved to issue digital certificates for U.S. departments and agencies through the Shared Service Provider (SSP) and Federal Bridge CA programs. In addition, Entrust provides the digital certificates for all agencies who receive PIV credentials, from the General Services Administration (GSA), via the USAccess program.

Created by the U.S. NIST, the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) outline general requirements for cryptographic modules within computer and telecommunication systems. A cryptographic module is defined as any combination of hardware, firmware or software that implements cryptographic functions such as encryption, decryption, digital signatures, authentication techniques and random-number generation.

An agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST is one of the nation's oldest physical science laboratories. Founded by Congress in 1901, the agency was established to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

Common Criteria certification is recognized globally by many national governments including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Israel, Spain, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The standards help build the broadest possible international framework for mutual recognition of IT security products. To achieve Common Criteria certification, organizations must submit IT security products to be evaluated by competent and independent licensed laboratories so as to determine the fulfillment of particular security properties, to a certain extent or assurance (EAL level).

For more information on Entrust's PIV solutions, visit entrust.com/piv-standard.

Tweet It: Tough, Tested and Certified. Entrust receives government approvals with FIPS 201 and FIPS 140 certifications, www.entrust.com/news.

About Entrust
A trusted provider of identity-based security solutions, Entrust secures enterprises, governments, financial institutions, citizens and websites in more than 5,000 organizations spanning 85 countries. Entrust's customer-centric focus is the foundation to delivering organizations an unmatched level of security, trust and value. For strong authentication, credentialing, physical and logical access, mobile security, digital certificates, SSL and PKI, call 888-690-2424, email [email protected] or visit www.entrust.com. 

Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. In Canada, Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust Limited. All Entrust product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Entrust, Inc. or Entrust Limited. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Entrust, Inc.