Sagem Morpho PIV Client API Middleware Certified as FIPS 201 Compliant and Interoperable by NIST.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Biometric Leader to Spotlight PIV Products at the 2006 Biometric Technology Expo

On August 29th, Sagem Morpho received Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS-140-2 and FIPS-201) certification for its Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Middleware. This certification caps a very exciting summer for Sagem Morpho, which also received FIPS-201 certification for its MorphoKit Template Generator and Matcher on July 18th.

Sagem Morpho's suite of FIPS-140-2 and FIPS-201 certified products will be on display (booth 311) at the Biometric Technology Expo being held in Baltimore, MD, September 19-21. The Expo, which is held in conjunction with the Biometric Consortium Conference, comes less than two months before the October 27th Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12) deadline. This deadline stipulates that Federal agencies must begin issuing Personal Identity Verification cards.

To achieve the mandates set forth by HSPD-12 for Federal employee and contractor identification, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Commerce were instructed to craft a standard for secure and trusted modes of identification. As a result, the FIPS-201 standard was created. Cryptographic security guidelines, established by the NIST FIPS-140-2 standard, provide the PIV cards with additional protection. Federal government agencies and the organizations they work with, are seeking providers of FIPS-201 approved PIV products to meet the directives set forth by HSPD-12 before the October 2006 deadline.

An important component in the implementation of the FIPS-201 process is compliant middleware. PIV middleware serves as an interface, telling authentication and security key applications where to write this data on the PIV card. The NIST Personal Identity Verification Program (NPIVP) has established certification procedures and test scenarios to validate PIV technologies as complying with the FIPS-201 standard and has recently certified Sagem Morpho's PIV Client API Middleware.

PIV middleware and software libraries recently certified FIPS-140-2 and FIPS-201 compliant are only a portion of Sagem Morpho's total biometric security solution. Sagem Morpho is in the process of obtaining GSA approval for its MorphoAccess Terminals (MA) and MorphoSmart Optic Terminals (MSO350). Both terminals offer medium and high security assurance levels; the MA for physical access and the MSO350 for logical access. The MSO350 also facilitates PIV card activation at the time of issuance.

HSPD-12 standards will be beneficial from both a security and cost-effectiveness standpoint. With the implementation of a standard identity credential recognized and accepted by all Federal agencies, the ever increasing costs created by post 9-11 security requirements will, in time, be amortized as employees will no longer need multiple badges for different applications and locations.

Sagem Morpho continues to be a biometric industry leader as confirmed by its string of FIPS-201 certifications and its pool of GSA Approved and soon to be approved Products. For more information regarding Sagem Morpho's PIV suite, visit the Sagem Morpho web site at http://www.morpho.com/Newsroom/IDman_FIPS201.html or call 800.601.6790.

About Sagem Morpho, Inc.

Applying experience in biometric ID solutions used in 55 countries worldwide, Sagem Morpho delivers biometrics to North American markets, including the U.S. Federal Government, homeland security, and civil identification, as well as consumer and commercial products. Pioneer in the design and development of large fingerprint identification systems and international standards, Sagem Morpho has valuable experience to effectively address the civil and commercial biometric identification markets. In-depth knowledge of this technology is critical for the complex ID management systems required by civil identification projects. State governments also use Sagem Morpho's biometric ID systems to prevent duplicate enrollment for driver's licenses and benefits cards. Sagem Morpho offers multi-biometric platforms that include fingerprint, palmprint, as well as facial and iris recognition products and services. As a subsidiary of Sagem Defense Security of the SAFRAN Group, Sagem Morpho is part of a global organization with 55,000 employees, including 7000 in North America.