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Publications–Cybersecurity

• A Comparison of PIV, PIV-I and CIV Credentials
  This brief was developed by the Smart Card Alliance Access Control Council to provide an easy-to-use comparison of Personal Identity Verification (PIV), PIV-Interoperable (PIV-I) and Commercial Identity Verification (CIV) credentials. Download brief. View brief.

• Assurance Levels Overview and Recommendations
  The Smart Card Alliance Identity Council developed this position paper to provide the Alliance interpretation and position on the OMB-defined levels of assurance. Download position paper. View position paper.

• The Commercial Identity Verification (CIV) Credential–Leveraging FIPS 201 and the PIV Specifications
  This white paper was developed by the Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council to provide guidance on how enterprises can take advantage of FIPS 201 and the PIV credential specifications to implement a standards-based commercial identity credentialing program. The white paper defines the Commercial Identity Verification (CIV) credential as a credential that uses the same technology and data model as the PIV-I credential. Download white paper. View executive summary.

• Comments on National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace
  The Smart Card Alliance Identity Council developed and submitted comments on the draft National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace. Download comments.

• Identifiers and Authentication–Smart Credential Choices to Protect Digital Identity
  The Smart Card Alliance developed this position paper to describe the issues with unique identifiers and discuss how smart cards can be used as authenticators when using unique identifiers. Download position paper. View position paper.

• Logical Access Security: The Role of Smart Cards in Strong Authentication
  This white describes the trends in implementing secure logical access. Written for decision makers in enterprises and government agencies, the report discusses current issues with logical access, reviews alternative approaches for authentication and presents key considerations that organizations should take into account when implementing stronger authentication for logical access. The benefits of using smart cards for logical access are presented, along with key business case factors that should be considered when deciding to invest in new technology for strong authentication. The report also describes the support provided for smart cards by the Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems. Download report. View full executive summary.

• NSTIC Frequently Asked Questions
  This FAQ was developed by the Smart Card Alliance to answer questions about the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC). Download FAQ. View FAQ.

• PIV-Interoperable Credential Case Studies
  This white paper was developed by the Smart Card Alliance Identity Council to document the benefits of using PIV-interoperable credentials for enterprises and to provide implementation case studies of enterprises that are issuing or planning to issue PIV-I credentials. Download white paper. View summary.

• Personal Identity Verification Interoperability (PIV-I) for Non-Federal Issuers: Trusted Identities for Citizens across States, Counties, Cities and Businesses.
  This white paper was developed by the Smart Card Alliance Physical Access Council and Identity Council to describe the benefits of FIPS 201, PIV standards and PIV-I framework for state and local governments to enable interoperability and trust across different government issuers for a wide variety of identity credentialing programs. The white paper discusses policy, process and technology considerations related to the implementation of state and local government identity credentialing initiatives. The white paper summarizes important aspects of the current state of policy, process and technology and identifies opportunities to support additional work to further improve each through the use of the PIV-I framework and the PIV standard. Download white paper. View executive summary.

• Smart Card Technology and the National Cybersecurity Strategy.
  The Smart Card Alliance developed this slide show to describe how smart card technology protects online identities and transactions.