Entrust meets U.S. cybersecurity directive

Entrust said Tuesday it had created solutions that meet Homeland Security requirements on accessing federal information systems.

The solutions apply to the 2004 Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which standardizes employee and contractor access to government computer systems.

Last week was the deadline for implementation of the first phase of HSPD-12, which establishes methods of proving identity and issuing security credentials. Phase Two has a deadline of Oct. 27, 2006, and requires government agencies to issue smart cards to employees and contractors that include a public-key infrastructure (PKI) authentication certificate.

Dallas-based Entrust released few details of its solution; however, officials did say its PKI certification authority was cross-certified with the Federal Bridge Certification Authority so that certifications can be "used seamlessly for secure data exchange and authentication across multiple federal agencies."

Copyright 2005 by United Press International