See Predictions for FIPS 201-2

See Predictions for FIPS 201-2 physical access systems are undergoing Fingerprint Time Attendancethe most radical transformation since the switch from keys to cards and tumblers to electronics. To the end user very little should change–there may be an increase in the use of biometrics–but most individuals will still simply tap the ID and go.

It’s what happens behind the scenes that will be vastly different. Backend system will drastically change. Access control readers and controllers will become more sophisticated with cryptography and bi-directional communication. Because physical access control systems typically have a lifespan of 10 years, this won’t happen overnight, but industry visionaries agree that it will happen.

Leading the charge for these next generation systems is the U.S. federal government. The FIPS 201 physical access control specification recommends public key infrastructure (PKI) at the door. The specification, Special Publication 800-116, does not mandate PKI, but recommends it. This, however, could change as a revision to the original FIPS 201 standards is due by the end of 2010 and some say it could include a PKI mandate (See Predictions for FIPS 201-2).

PKI is typically associated with logical access and digitally signing documents. When it was proposed for physical access it was something of a first. Making the leap wasn’t that difficult though, says Bill MacGregor, a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. MacGregor, who was instrumental in writing Special Publication 800-116, says there were simply too many points of potential vulnerability with existing physical access systems.

“We knew there were a significant number of plausible threats against physical access control solutions dealing with authentication,” MacGregor says. “There are devices Fingerprint Time Attendanceavailable on eBay that would duplicate many of the common cards used for physical access control.”