Smart-card guidelines published

The Federal Identity and Credentialing Committee released guidelines for developing interoperable federal identification systems based on smart cards.

The guidelines lay out minimum requirements for smart-card credentials, including:

* Tamper and counterfeit resistance

* Support for three means of authentication, such as passwords, credentials and biometrics

* Automated monitoring for audit trails

* Digital certificates on each card for identification, encryption and digital signatures

* Ability to be updated after issuance

The committee encouraged agencies to design systems that can support biometrics and comply with standards issued by major U.S. and international bodies.