LaserCard Corp. announced that the Angolan government has officially approved the design of its new national ID card, triggering productio of the initial supply of secure optical memory cards for the country’s national ID program.

Issuance of cards to Angola’s adult citizens is scheduled to begin in Luanda, the nation’s capital, by this fall. Delivery of the $8.8 million card will begin this quarter and is scheduled to be completed this fiscal year.

The cards will be issued as wallet-size ID credentials to citizens nationwide and will store personal data including personal and biometric identification. The cards are based on the same optical memory technology used in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s “Green Card” program.

Card production follows the build-out of the nationwide fixed and mobile infrastructure required for card issuance. LaserCard completed delivery of the card personalization equipment that forms the core of this system.

LaserCard is a subcontractor to the Angolan government’s prime contractor, DGM-Sistemas of L.D.A. DGM-Sistemas and other team partners have been engaged in the implementation of the national IT infrastructure and criminal registry database to support the personal data capture, card issuance and downstream application processes.

By Salvatore D’Agostino, IDmachines

IDmachines recently has run across a number of situations in which people want to leverage the PIN on a FIPS 201 credential. The idea is to use a PIN on system as a second factor in combination with contactless components of the credential. Multi-factor authentication is a great idea for any access control application. Something you have plus something you know is simply more secure than something you have.

But let’s be clear, it’s something YOU have and something YOU know, not something WE (as is anyone with access to a database or application knows). The PIN on a FIPS 201 credential is something you set and then is locked away. You should never tell anyone and certainly you should never store it in a database for use in another application.

In particular under no circumstance use the PIN that is associated with and provides access to you private keys as a PIN on system for a physical access control application. End of story no further discussion please.

Precise Biometrics, a developer of biometric solutions, has been awarded a contract valued at more than $6.1 million from the U.S. government.

The contract specifies Precise provides immediate delivery to various agencies with hardware and software necessary for the existing infrastructure involving Precise’s Match-On-Card system.

The specific solution is for U.S. security and cyber defense to prevent hostile invasions of government networks carrying crucial or confidential data. U.S. officials say Match-On-Card technology is an integral tool to stop the hacking of government systems.

Equitrac Corp., a Plantation, Fla. print and cost management solutions provider, has released the latest version of its print management and cost recovery program for law, architecture and engineering firms, consultants and other professional services providers. Equitrac Professional can automatically match equipment to specific business requirements and simplify IT support of print operations.

It also captures every client-related expense for bill back. In its latest release, usability has been enhanced with easier disbursement control and processing. Additionally, technical support has been expanded for wide format printing and Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Enhancements include streamlined disbursement entries, improved scanning processes and expanded wide format device support  

IBM has inked a seven-year deal to provide elements of the UK government’s plans to upgrade to biometric passports, according to a Tech Generation report. The deal is valued at more than $432 million.

IBM will provide a replacement for the UK Border Agency’s Immigration and Asylum Fingerprint System which holds biometrics collected from visa applicants. The contract will also cover running the database that will store the facial images and fingerprints needed to keep the passport in line with international standards.

IBM will manage the project as the prime contractor, Atos Origin will provide systems integration and operations support, while Sagem Securite will supply biometric services and software.

The UK’s electronic passports containing contactless smart card chips with facial images and fingerprints will start to be issued from 2011.

Read more here.

Gemalto announced it has been selected by Gabon’s “Caisse Nationale d’Assurance Maladie et de Garantie Sociale (CNAMGS)” as prime contractor for its electronic health card program.

Gemalto is supplying a solution that includes cards, its Allynis Issuance operated personalization services and an ID verification system. Gemalto works in cooperation with Stimplus and Zetes, who act as sub-contractors for the enrolment solution. Stimplus is a French provider of IT equipment and services for businesses. Zetes is a Belgian auto-ID solutions provider. A pilot project aimed at the most disadvantaged citizens is running in each of the provinces’ administrative city, before being extended to the entire population over 2009-2010.

The cards can be used in hospitals, pharmacies and health centers, to check patient entitlement while ensuring confidentiality of personal data. This health card, the size of a credit card, carries the beneficiary’s identification number, civil status information, photograph and fingerprints.

The Sealys Laser-Secured card is made of polycarbonate, a material that offers a very high level of security and capable of withstanding extreme climate conditions. Secure laser personalization within the body of the card itself ensures data cannot be altered or accidentally damaged. This technique makes the card virtually impossible to forge.

Zvetco Biometrics, a developer of biometric technology, has announced the release of their new USB finger print reader called the Verifi P6000 USB Fingerprint Reader. As an upgrade to its P5000 predecessors, the P6000 has increased gray-scale detail and contrast. Additionally, the P6000 utilizes the TouchChip TCS1 Fingerprint Sensor from biometric developer UPEK.

Zvetco’s Verifi P6000 is expected to be targeted at government agencies for computer-based logical access control. In addition to it’s upgraded imaging capabilities, the reader is compatible out of the box with BioCert, BioScrypt, ActivIdentity and multiple other applications that support UPEK’s sensors.

How a small subsidiary of Hughes Aircraft became a global leader in identity management

By Zack Martin, Editor, Avisian Publications

HID Global enables workers to get in the front door of offices around the world. Many people see the three letters, either on their cards or access control readers, but odds are they don’t really know the company behind them.

HID originally stood for Hughes Identification Device, as in Howard Hughes, says Holly Sacks, senior vice president of marketing and corporate strategy at HID Global. The company was formed in 1991 as a subsidiary of Hughes Aircraft to develop radio frequency identification technologies.

The original 125-kilohertz technology, commonly referred to as proximity or prox, had been used in aircraft to track parts. The company’s founders thought there would be markets out there interested in using it for other purposes, says Selva Selvaratnam, senior vice president and chief technology officer at HID.

SCM Microsystems Inc. announced that it has closed its merger with Hirsch Electronics Corp. The shareholders of both companies approved the transaction, which included the payment of cash and the issuance of SCM common stock and warrants to purchase shares of SCM common stock in exchange for the securities of Hirsch.

The merger closed on April 30 and Hirsch is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of SCM. Each company’s products and services will continue to be marketed, sold and supported using their existing brand names.

Acquiring Hirsch, a physical access solution provider and re-seller of SCM’s physical access readers, nearly doubles the size of SCM. SCM is a global provider of readers that enable people to access PCs and networks with smart cards containing authentication data and other information.

The merger provides SCM with additional scale and resources to develop, sell and support new products, systems and services to address the global appetite for secure authentication solutions to enable e-commerce, e-government and e-business.

MXI Security announced the release of ACCESS CAC/PIV, a security solution enabling the U.S. government Personal Identity Verification card (PIV) infrastructure to securely access personal portable security devices (PPSDs).

ACCESS CAC/PIV combines CAC/PIV smart card-based certificate authentication with biometric and password authentication and provides up to three factor authentication to encrypt USB drives. The product works with MXI Security’s FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated Stealth MXPTM Passport, Stealth MXPTM Bio, and Outbacker MXPTM Bio.

An organization’s existing FIPS 201 infrastructure and the smart cards in hands of personnel are all that is required. Device key management is tied to the PKI encryption key on the user’s smart card, password controls can be set in accordance with existing government standards.

The Stealth MXP Passport and Stealth MXP Bio product families range from 1GB to 32GB capacity USB flash devices. The Outbacker MXP Bio product family includes 80GB to 500GB capacity USB hard disk devices. These devices enable organizations to securely store sensitive information, applications, and digital identity credentials. All are available in a FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated version.