1Kosmos launches biometric CSP managed service, joins Carahsoft GSA schedule

Identity proofing and password authentication provider 1Kosmos has announced the introduction of its new credential service provider (CSP) managed service. It has also announced that Carahsoft has added 1Kosmos’s CSP, identity verification, and passwordless MFA to its General Services Administration (GSA) schedule.

1Kosmos announces credential service provider offering

1Kosmos has announced it will now offer a new CSP managed service based on its privacy-by-design 1Kosmos platform.

Government agencies can use CSP for a seamless biometric identity verification process for residents who are requesting services. It complies with NIST Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2), an identity proofing standard from NIST. It can also issue a phishing-resistant MFA credential that meets NIST Authentication Assurance Level 2 (AAL2), a federal authentication standard.

Users can leverage the 1Kosmos CSP to control what PII they want to share with third parties.

“Virtually every government agency at the federal, state, tribal, and local level is modernizing resident services which all require immutable digital identity verification,” says Hemen Vimadalal, CEO of 1Kosmos. “With the 1Kosmos CSP service, we are providing the government sector with a low friction, intuitive and user-directed way to enroll and verify their identity that meets the highest assurance level standards available today.”

The CSP service takes users through the enrollment journey that starts with device verification and document scanning. It then uses biometric capture that includes LiveID, where a user must blink or smile, which protects against presentation and injection attacks. It verifies phone numbers through SIM binding, which links a security token that serves as proof of identity to a trusted device. Lastly, the user creates a digital wallet to store their validated identity.

Data is stored in a decentralized framework and accessed via public-private key cryptography.

The company has set out to gain an Authority to Operate (ATO) under the FedRAMP, a program that qualifies cloud service providers that meet certain security standards to be used by federal agencies. Last year, it received the UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework certification, meeting the UK’s security standards for data protection.

1Kosmos now available on Carahsoft GSA schedule

Carashsoft, a government IT provider, will add 1Kosmos’s CSP, identity verification, and MFA to its GSA schedule, expanding 1Kosmos’s reach into the public sector.

“As the incidence of phishing and fraudulent activities targeting civilians has increased, agencies continue to transition away from standard password to verified identity MFA,” says 1Kosmos VP of Public Sector Fadi Jarrar. “1Kosmos’ inclusion on Carahsoft’s GSA Schedule enables us to better support government agencies seeking to adopt innovative Zero Trust technologies and achieve digital modernization.”

The 1Kosmos platform is certified to meet NIST 800-63-3 and FIDO2 standards, and hsa passed a conformance test for the ISO 30107-3 biometric presentation attack detection standard.

“Our government customers are facing an unprecedented rise in identity fraud and phishing attacks, posing a substantial risk to critical services citizens rely on,” says Carahsoft VP of Cybersecurity Solutions Brian O’Donnell. “Through our ongoing collaboration with 1Kosmos and our reseller partners, we aim to provide agencies with additional access to 1Kosmos cutting-edge Zero-Trust solutions.”

Article Topics

1Kosmos  |  biometrics  |  Carahsoft  |  digital identity  |  IAL2  |  identity assurance  |  identity verification  |  multifactor authentication