Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

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DoD Designates Operational Research Consultants, Inc. as the First External Certificate Authority (ECA)
http://www.orc.com/press_releases/14jun04.html
Monday June 14, 6:59 pm ET

FAIRFAX, VA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jun 14, 2004 -- On May 13, 2004, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense (NII), Mr. Linton Wells II, signed a Memorandum of Agreement between the External Certificate Authority Policy Management Authority (EPMA) and Operational Research Consultants, Inc. (ORC). Today, the root key for the ORC ECA certificate authority was signed by the U.S. Government root, establishing ORC as the first External Certificate Authority (ECA) in support of the Department of Defense Public Key Infrastructure (DoD PKI). The ECA program supplants the Interim External Certificate Authority program by dropping the Interim designation and becoming a fully operational instantiation.

As the only U.S. Government ECA, ORC is authorized to provide digital certificates for identification/digital signature, encryption, server authentication, and signing of code, to 'protect Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) information in the interest of Information Assurance (IA), Operation Security (OPSEC) and anti-terrorism.' ORC ECA Subscribers may include DoD contractors, vendors, allied partners, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, Foreign Nationals, members of other Government agencies and their trading partners. The ORC ECA will continue to allow rapid support certification services to U.S. Government contractors supporting specified programs that will require or currently do require PKI support.

The ORC ECA supports the medium assurance and medium-hardware assurance levels, as defined in the U.S. Government ECA Certificate Policy. Features offered by the ECA program that exceed those of the Interim External Certificate Authority (IECA) program are the availability of 1, 2, or 3 year certificates, encryption key archival and recovery, Microsoft Smart Card logon, and Microsoft Domain Controller certificates.

As many contractors have become aware over the past weeks and months, more and more DoD websites and resources are requiring digital authentication by way of an approved DoD digital certificate, such as an IECA or ECA certificate, prior to granting access. This restriction is in adherence to DoD Directive 8500, which states,

" The use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates and biometrics for positive authentication shall be in accordance with published DoD policy and procedures. These technologies shall be incorporated in all new acquisitions and upgrades whenever possible. Where interoperable PKI is required for the exchange of unclassified information with vendors and contractors, the Department of Defense shall only accept PKI certificates obtained from a DoD-approved external certificate authority or other mechanisms approved in accordance with DoD policy."

Prior to being designated as the first ECA, ORC demonstrated the technical proficiency to be designated as the first Interim External Certificate Authority (IECA-1) by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) in 1999. Since that time, ORC has distinguished itself by becoming the first, and to date only, IECA/ECA authorized to issue all of the permissible types of certificates under the IECA and ECA programs. ORC has been focused on analysis, systems integration and systems engineering since incorporation in 1991. ORC is a Minority, Service Disabled Veteran owned, Small Disadvantaged Business.


CONTACT:
Denise Finnance
Operational Research Consultants, Inc.
Phone: [phone]
Web Site: http://ECA.ORC.com