Qualcomm awarded DoD contract for IT system access protection pilot

The Department of Defense has awarded Qualcomm’s Cyber Security Solutions (QCSS) division a contract to establish a pilot program for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to enable DoD users to access key IT systems using actionless authentication, the company has announced. The authentication is performed with Qualcomm’s hardware-anchored device attestation and continuous multi-factor authentication capabilities on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile Platform, integrated with DISA’s Purebred and Public Key Infrastructure systems.

The pilot is part of a DoD project to replace the Common Access Card with newer technologies, including biometrics. DISA aims to transform user’s experience by leveraging next-generation security capabilities on mobile devices, and sees a strong advantage in utilizing a hardware-based approach rather than a traditional software-based one, according to the announcement.

“This effort is not only a significant milestone for the Department of Defense but also for other providers of mission-critical services whose users require secure access and authentication to mission applications without distracting those users from focusing on their immediate mission”, said Kim Koro, Senior Vice President of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc and President of Qualcomm Cyber Security Solutions Division.

A combination of soft and hard biometric factors will attest to the user’s identity, while the hardware-anchored capabilities of mobile devices on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile Platform will attest the identity of the device.

Article Topics

access control  |  biometrics  |  multifactor authentication  |  pilot project  |  Qualcomm