Physical Token Protection – Part IV

Regarding provisioning physical authentication mediums, an entity’s deployed access control process should clearly define the way encoded identification is delivered to users — within the context of promoting adequate confidentiality, integrity and availability. Specifically, the process to dispense tokenized authentication attributes to users should employ a different delivery channel than the physical item. When physical items are tokenized prior to individual assignment or usage, security management should ensure the identification mechanism remains dormant and protected until the authentication verification enabler reaches the intended owner empowered with activation and usage rights.

As suggested in COBIT Security Baseline: An Information Security Survival Kit; depending on the country, state or industry, information asset usage is subject to various laws and regulations. These laws and regulations need to be known and obeyed to enable appropriate IT security. Domains covered by such rules include privacy, information retention, minimal system protection requirements as well as attestation requirements. Consequently, physical tokenized access items should receive the same protection consideration as other entity information assets.

“View Part I of the Physical Token Protection series here“