identity assurance

Patrick Grother is a computer scientist with the NIST Information Technology Laboratory, in charge of the biometric portion of the FIPS 201 update.

The Personal Identity Verification cards used by every federal worker and contractor are being revised to address the technology advances that have occurred since the card standards were published in 2005. Changes are expected to reflect improvements in identity verification using biometrics and to address integration of mobile devices as well as to manage credentials in a more cost effective manner.

Each Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card carries an integrated circuit chip that stores encrypted electronic information about the cardholder, a unique personal identification number, a printed photograph and two electronically stored fingerprints. Along with being used to control access to facilities, some federal agencies use PIV cards with readers to control access to computers and networks. The Federal Information Processing Standards 201 (FIPS 201) ensures that the PIV card will be interoperable across the government.

The update to FIPS 201, which defines the operation of the PIV cards, is being managed by the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST expects to publish the final draft of the standard, which will be called FIPS 201- in the spring of 2013. The standard is currently in the comment period.

The Center for Advanced Studies in Identity Science (CASIS) is helping to usher in a new school of biometrics known as identity science, which goes beyond traditional biometrics of iris scans, fingerprints, palm prints and facial recognition.

The Center for Advanced Studies in Identity Science (CASIS) is helping to usher in a new school of biometrics known as identity science, which goes beyond traditional biometrics of iris scans, fingerprints, palm prints and facial recognition.

Even as biometrics technology becomes more integral to everyday life, researchers working indirectly for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warn that some tough challenges have yet to be overcome. Refining facial recognition in crowds, coping with obscurants, finding answers with less than perfect data and addressing flat funding hinder progress.