ActivCard, a provider of digital identity products and technology, has enabled the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) and the U.S. Department of Defense to utililize JavaTM technology for the worldwide issuance and management of the Common Access Card (CAC). These new smart card-based ID badges will replace existing U.S. armed forces' identification cards and will be distributed to 4.3 million active duty U.S. military personnel and eligible contractors.

The DMDC has embedded ActivCard digital identity infrastructure software into almost 2,000 Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) workstations, which are installed in approximately 900 locations around the world, including the Pentagon, military bases, naval ships, and other sites. The new badges issued via the RAPIDS terminals provide a range of services consolidated on one smart card. With an easy single sign-on, cardholders access their digital identity to provide digital signature and user authentication. ActivCard Java CardTM technology-based applets are used to manage three separate public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates on each smart card. Cardholders can:

• Gain entry to facilities
• Receive access to a server
• Access government services

The various military branches can further customize the badge to host additional applications. ActivCard technology can take all of the access codes and passwords that a person could use in a day and packages them in a compact smart card. All of the services can be accessible through one PIN.

http://java.sun.com/features/2001/03/card.html [...read more...]

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