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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Intermediate

Personal Identity Verification (PIV)

US federal smart card standard (FIPS 201) for employee and contractor identity credentials.

Definition

PIV cards contain certificates for authentication, digital signature, and encryption, plus biometric data, and are used for both logical and physical access. The Department of Defense's Common Access Card (CAC) is a PIV-compliant variant. PIV is a phishing-resistant authenticator under federal zero trust strategy.

Example

A federal employee uses a PIV card to badge into a building and to sign in to their workstation.

Exam tip

PIV/CAC are the federal examples of smart card MFA.

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