FIPS 201

As prompted by the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), the U.S. Government started the massive undertaking in 2005 of a new ID card called the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) for all Federal workers and contractors needing access to Government facilities and information systems. The PIV card is a smart card containing fingerprint biometrics.

To allow the PIV card to be recognized at one Federal agency and authenticated by another, the fingerprint data, cryptographic features and card interface all conform to interoperability standards. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in support of this effort, issued the FIPS 201 Federal standard that details the requirements for the PIV system including a standardized format for biometric fingerprint templates contained on the card. Supporting a set of authentication procedures, the PIV card can be used for identity authentication at varying levels of trust.

At the highest levels of trust, the biometric is part of three-factor authentication, meaning the PIV card is something that you have, the PIN is something that you know and the biometric is something that you are. The PIV card can also contain digital certificates to digitally sign emails, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) as well as establish logon credentials.