The Department of Defense is using EDI-PI as a unique identifier. This value is located in multiple locations within the Common Access Card (CAC)/Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card within the Federal Agency Smart Credential Number (FASC-N). The FASC-N is located in the Cardholder Unique Identifier (CHUID) and the authentication digital certificate. What’s more, the CHUID is available as a free read from the contactless ISO 14443 interfaces as well as the contact interface. Consequently, the CHUID/FASC-N could be extracted hands free or through the contact interface. Additionally, the digital certificate used for CAC/PIV login includes the FASC-N.

Thinking outside the box, a surgeon could authenticate inside an operating room using the contactless interface. One would need only to move the CAC/PIV to a configured ISO 14443 reader. Similarly, a user logging into a system using the contact interface could be identified from the digital certificate used.

The FASC-N contains information that identifies the Federal agency that issued the CAC/PIV card. This I not limited to the DoD and VA but includes all Government users such as HHS and FDA. As a final note, this guarantees unique and positive identification of the cardholder.