NASA Internal Memo: Mandatory Authentication with NASA PIV Smartcard Begins at Ames
Subject: Mandatory Authentication with NASA PIV Smartcard Begins at Ames.
From: Centerwide Announcement
Date: September 10, 2018
TO: NASA Civil Servants and Contractors
FROM: Director, Information Technology Directorate
SUBJECT: Mandatory Authentication with NASA PIV Smartcard Begins at Ames.
WHAT IS IT?
In February 2011, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandated Federal Agencies to achieve a 95-percent utilization rate, of Personal Identification Validation (PIV) smartcards for authentication to information systems. The goal, of NASA end-users utilizing PIV smartcards to authenticate, begins now and continues through 2014, with 100% compliance by December 2014. There are short-term and long-term opt-out choices for valid business cases. The PIV smartcard has been in place since 2009 and is part of Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requirements.
NASA’s OCIO has established an immediate metric to achieve at least a 10-percent utilization of PIVs, no later than Monday, September 30, 2013. Working towards this goal, and beginning Wednesday, September 18, 2013, Ames Research Center is moving to the mandatory use of NASA PIV Smartcard authentication, for about 10% of our end-users, to login to most NASA systems, networks, and applications. We will implement mandatory PIV authentication in phases.
Phase I includes ACES and Non-ACES, desktop and laptop end-users, with the Windows 7 operating system. Identified end-users (approximately 200 at Ames) will receive a detailed message outlining the required steps, a WebEx briefing session, and information to make this transition before the end of September. There are short-term and long-term opt-out choices for valid business cases.
Phase II will continue working towards 100% compliance for Windows users, and will include Mac users. At this time, logical access using PIV cards for Mac users is under development. When the plan is completed, and ready for implementation, a Center-wide communication will be distributed, along with a targeted message to our Mac end-users.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT?
Using your PIV smartcard to authenticate, achieves compliance with FISMA requirements, and provides two important security benefits: – Your PIV smartcard uniquely identifies you as the person who should have access to your laptop or desktop computer. – PIV authentication will improve the overall security posture for NASA because it is harder to exploit than passwords.
WHEN IS IT HAPPENING?
The transition for ACES and Non-ACES, desktop and laptop end-users, with Windows 7 operating systems, begins mid-September 2013. The Ames’ goal is to have 10% of all Windows 7 users utilizing this method, no later than Monday, September 30, 2013. A detailed message will be distributed to targeted end-users with specific transition information.
WHAT ACTIONS ARE REQUIRED?
ACES and Non-ACES, desktop and laptop end-users, with Windows 7 operating systems, are identified by their current system usage. When you receive the detailed message, please take the required steps to ensure you are ready to use the PIV smartcard authentication process, no later than September 30, 2013.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE:
To view detailed information, visit the OCIO Smartcard FAQ site: http://inside.nasa.gov/ocio/content/nasa-smartcard-faq
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the IT Support Center at (650) 604-2000 or mailto:arc-help@mail.nasa.gov .
