This validation assures U.S. federal agencies that RSA Authentication Client technology meets the Federal Information Processing (FIPS) 201 standard, which is required for key technology solutions operating within Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) environments.

RSA Authentication Client is middleware that is designed to serve as the interface between any Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card and the applications/infrastructure making use of digital certificates for actions such as authentication, encryption and digital signing. InfoGard, an accredited PIV testing facility, submitted an evaluation report to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Personal Identity Verification Program (NPIVP), which issued the final validation to RSA Authentication Client technology.

RSA Authentication Client, RSA Card Manager and RSA Certificate Manager products are compliant with FIPS 201, and the U.S. Federal Government can acquire and deploy these approved products to comply with the HSPD-12 mandate of October 2006.

NIST established the NPIVP to validate FIPS 201 conformance of two specific HSPD-12 components: PIV middleware and PIV card applications. NIST validations are only offered to solutions included in these categories, and other HSPD-12 components - such as card management systems, biometrics and public key infrastructure (PKI) - are not eligible for NIST validation.

"As HSPD-12 deadlines approach, agencies are turning to the vendor community in search of validated solutions which meet the standards set by the U.S. federal government," said Shannon Kellogg, director of government and industry affairs at RSA Security. "RSA Security is proud to have earned this validation, and to continue the momentum we've achieved in the HSPD-12 market in recent months."