Resources
Component Resources In Focus
- CORE.gov Advances Standards Development for the New Federal Identity Card
- Repositories at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Information Technology Laboratory
- The CSD's Computer Security Resource Center
CORE.gov Advances Standards Development for the New Federal Identity Card
CORE.gov helped meet the aggressive schedule that the White House set when it issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD12) on August 27, 2004, mandating the determination of a common standard for secure and reliable forms of identification to access federal facilities and information systems within six months. In response to HSPD12, NIST tasked the Government Smart Card Interagency Advisory Board to conduct a technical analysis of the proposed Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201 and the 103-page Special Publication 800-73 that specified the interface and data elements of the personal identity verification (PIV) card.
John G. Moore of the General Service Administration (GSA) selected CORE.gov to host the analysis and revision process that entailed the coordination in a short timeline of nearly 300 federal officials and industry analysts from California to Washington, DC (see EStrategy News, 2/3/05 and 1/7/05). The analysis and rewrite were completed on schedule on January 20. After public comments and upon finalization, the Secretary of Commerce approved the finalized SP800-73, Interfaces for Personal Identity Verification on February 25, 2005.
Repositories at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
To move federal information sharing forward, CORE.gov uses a federated model for sharing component resources. We maintain information about resources and components that reside on other federal sites, including those on NIST's robust online publication sites. Here, we highlight two NIST repositories that our users will find useful: The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) and the Computer Security Resource Center (CSRC) of the Computer Security Division (CSD).
Information Technology Laboratory
ITL's eight divisions, according to Director Dr. Shashi Phoha, aim to make technology more usable, secure, scalable, and interoperable for agency users. To do this, the lab develops the tests and methodology that developers use to objectively measure the performance of the IT systems at their agencies and provides ITL Publications and Reports, including Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS) and Bulletins, on its Web site. The lab enables users to participate in developing standards online, including international standards, via its ANSI Accredited Standards Developer and Voluntary Standards Participation sites. The ITL also offers summaries of its FY2005 ITL Publications.
The CSD's Computer Security Resource Center
To protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or modification, the CSD, a division of the ITL, develops computer security prototypes, tests, standards, and procedures for the federal community and provides these resources via the CSRC. This online resource center also contains publications resulting from CSD studies, investigations, and research on IT security, including CSD's Interagency Reports (IRs), 800 series, and Computer Security Bulletins. NIST draft publications that are open for public review and comment also reside in the CSRC.
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