Secure use of Mac OS X-based systems in government and high-security enterprise environments took an important step forward Monday with ActivCard’s support of the operating system in ActivCard Gold, a middleware security solution.
ActivCard already supported Windows, but with this announcement adds support for Mac OS X “Jaguar,” Linux and Solaris operating systems. The technology is designed to help support Common Access Cards (CACs) or Smart Cards — digital identity cards used by the Department of Defense and increasingly relied upon by corporations where security is of paramount importance.
CAC-based systems combine a digital card reader with PIN-based access or PKI certificate authentication to provide secure access to computer systems and Web sites. ActivCard products are GSC-IS compliant, and the new ActivCard Gold for Mac OS X product is operational with ActivCard’s own FIPS 140-1 Level 2-certified applets and smart cards.
The Mac OS X version of ActivCard Gold utilizes an open-source smart card framework called Movement for the Use of Smart Cards in a Linux Environment (MUSCLE), and was developed to comply with Apple Human Interface Guidelines (HIG).
Available now, ActivCard Gold for Mac OS X costs US$45 per seat. Volume discounts are available.
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