Evolving Security Standards
In order to adhere to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) security standard, law enforcement professionals must now use advanced authentication when accessing criminal records. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida is just one example of the thousands of sheriff’s offices across the country that must fulfill these standards and implement new authentication protocols to comply.
For years, the Sheriff’s Office had relied on officers using a username and password to access online information. A cop would have signed into their laptop, for instance, by typing their login and password on the screen when they got into their car. The need for an additional layer of protection to safeguard digital information, including details about criminals, suspects, and other police officers, has increased as a result of a number of recent digital security breaches showing that the login and password combination is weak.
The risk of bad actors breaking into computers can become life-threatening if a burglar takes a laptop from a Sheriff’s Office car and is able to access all its information. Securing the computers of sheriff’s offices with more reliable identity management software is becoming increasingly important.
The Solution
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office went to HID for a “smart” solution to their problems: complying with the FBI mandate, boosting security, and enhancing the officers’ user experience. HID’s solution was to use smart cards to replace usernames and passwords. Officers can now complete the two-factor authentication required by the FBI by using a smart card (the HID Crescendo card) and a PIN number. This is the same solution that US federal agencies use to safeguard their workers and contractors, but it has been packaged and configured to be simple to implement on smaller scales while still maintaining a high level of security.
The sheriff’s office employs the HID ActivID® Credential Management System (CMS), which enables IT staff to manage the smart cards and digital certificates, to keep control of the digital access rights of the more than 180 users on the network. Another advantage is that the sheriff’s office is now using the personalized HID smart cards as the official ID cards for its employees.
To learn more about HID’s work with The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the benefits of using smart cards for MFA, click here.
Have a similar project? Tx Systems can help your organization implement HID solutions to protect sensitive information. To request a quote, contact sales today. To browse our expansive product selection visit our shop at https://shop.txsystems.com/
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