The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) maintains a centralized system that tracks users authorized to access DoD websites through a program called the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS). The JPAS program helps protect the DoD against unauthorized access to its networks and applications, comply with data protection regulations, and enforce security best practices. Non-DoD individuals who do business with the DoD can apply to the program and thus be authorized to access DoD websites if they meet the DoD requirements.
While non-DoD individuals in the JPAS program used to be able to access websites using only usernames and passwords, beginning January 21, 2012, they must also use a digital certificate stored on a USB token or smartcard that have been issued by a DoD-approved External Certificate Authority (ECA).
Symantec is a DoD-approved ECA and, to help non-DoD individuals in the JPAS program meet these requirements, has released an update of its ECA certificate service that is compliant with the new JPAS requirements. The update simplifies the process for individuals to obtain ECA certificates that are compliant under the new JPAS Medium Token and Medium Hardware Assurance specifications.
As the world leader for digital certificates and SSL solutions, Symantec’s digital certificate solutions, powered by Verisign, have been on the market for more than 15 years and give users the most trusted brands in digital certificate authentication. Not only has Symantec been certified by the DoD for JPAS, it is also a certified Shared Service Provider (SSP) in the DoD’s PKI Infrastructure program and Symantec provides SSL certificates to secure DoD and other federal websites.
To simplify compliance with the DoD’s new requirements, Symantec provides JPAS compliant certificates over the web, and JPAS program members can buy new certificates online at http://www.verisign.com/dod-interoperability/index.html.