Army installs PKI security
New policy enhances access controls on the Defense Department's Non-secure IP Router Network.
TKC Integration Services is overseeing the installation of public-key infrastructure (PKI) technologies throughout the Army to tighten security on the military’s unclassified network.
TKC Integration Services, an Alaska native corporation, chose Tumbleweed Communications’ Tumbleweed Validation Authority to install servicewide, according to a statement released today by the latter company. The Validation Authority Server checks to verify whether a user's PKI digital certificate is valid.
The Army began accelerating its installation of the Tumbleweed Validation Authority earlier this month in response to a new Defense Department order that requires all personnel in the military services and defense agencies to use PKI to log on to the Defense Department's Non-secure IP Router Network.
The Joint Task Force for Global Network Operations, which oversees the management and protection of military networks, moved up the schedule for implementing PKI because of increasing attacks on DOD networks and attempts to steal U.S. military secrets and slow network operations.
“Once Validation Authority is fully deployed, more than 800,000 Army personnel will be able to use their Common Access Cards in compliance with the new DOD mandate to access department networks, communicate via e-mail and conduct other transactions with a substantially greater level of assurance,” said Ann Smith, vice president of federal sales at Tumbleweed Communications.
The Tumbleweed Validation Authority uses the open-standard Online Certificate Status Protocol to verify the status of digital certificates. The Marine Corps and the Defense Logistics Agency also chose the Tumbleweed product for their PKI initiatives.