The adoption of smart card technology has transformed citizen and government operations to a higher level of efficiency and security. There have been numerous smart ID deployments that have significantly reduced cases of confidential data breach and identity theft.
The basic foundation of an effective and efficient e-Government ecosystem is its Identity and Access Management (IAM) system. IAM system in a government industry is a combination of policies and technologies that allow authorized users such as citizens, residents, legal aliens, and government personnel to have the proper access to certain identification resources or government services. In general, an IAM system is composed of 4 elements namely User Management, Authorization, Authentication, and Central User Repository.
User Management is the element wherein the creation, distribution, and maintenance of user identities and privileges are done. Authorization is the function of granting permission to a user to access a particular resource or service. Authentication is the verification of one’s identity by Multifactor Authentication (MFA) and there are three most common kinds of factors to confirm one’s identity, including “something you have” (e.g., a smart ID card or a secure USB key), “something you know” (e.g., a password or a memorized PIN), and “something you are” (e.g., a fingerprint or facial recognition) in order to gain access to a particular resource or service. Central User Repository is the database of authorized users’ identities and access rights as well as user activity logs. Smart card technology enables the deployment of MAF playing an important role in an IAM system.
Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) is an Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution that is delivered as a cloud-based service, which is an application delivery model that allows smart ID holders to access the applications and services offered by the government to perform civic duties such as tax filing, social security contributions and claims, health insurance premiums and claims, election and voting, etc. IAM system and IDaaS can be built around a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), utilizing digital certificates and public key cryptographic to protect communication of sensitive data (e.g., name, date of birth, nationality, fingerprint templates, etc) to avoid data breach.
Smart ID incorporates the capabilities of storing digital certificates that establishes identity and logical access controls while at same time possesses cryptographic capabilities such as encryption and decryption of data using asymmetric algorithm (e.g., RSA and ECC) and transaction integrity verification using hash algorithms (e.g., SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-3). Card holders can perform tasks such as signing documents, encrypting/decrypting files, and communicating securely to government officials or personnel. The synergy of IAM system, IDaaS, and smart card technology brings about a seamless and revolutionary experience.
AB Circle provides secure, reliable, fast, and cost-effective smart cards and smart card readers as a medium for smart card-based IAM system and IDaaS solutions.
Smart cards in an IAM system and IDaaS solution add another security layer on the front-end side of the system by secured printing and cryptography capabilities. Smart card technology through digital certificates, asymmetric cryptography and hash algorithms behind a PKI system allows message and logical access authentication, non-repudiation of digitally signed messages or documents, and transaction tampering detection.
An IAM system also enables easier user management to all eID holders because should there be any compromise of confidential data or fraudulent transactions, the system administrator such as government officials can isolate the problem by removal of access privileges and revocation of specific digital certificates without necessarily overhauling the other access rights and digital certificates.
With the high security features of the smart card technology, negative cost implications of identity theft can be eliminated, if not significantly reduced.
Another cost benefit of using a smart card technology is that one card can handle multiple applications intended for different government agencies. It also includes the ability to store multiple digital certificates for use in single or multiple transactions with government entities, hence, resulting in a compact and powerful yet flexible solution with the lowest hardware cost.
Accessing online government services securely with MFA, there’s an implication of cost efficiency to both the users and the government agencies. The online solution reduces travelling expenses of users going to and from a government office to perform the needed transactions while there’s cost efficiency of a government agency’s operational expenses due to the automation of tasks.
Government personnel can reduce their processing time and effort caused by manual coding and repetitive tasks with automated cloud-based applications. With fewer activities of these tasks, they are able to focus more on productive and analytical work to improve their roles and responsibilities while also providing a better eKYC experience to the public.
日