Elevating Government Digital Transformation with an Advanced Credential Service Provider – 1Kosmos

As a leading provider of identity management solutions, 1Kosmos is excited to announce our new capability as a Credential Service Provider (CSP) for government agencies. This development represents a significant step forward in our mission to revolutionize the way organizations of any type can manage digital identities and secure access to critical resources.

What is a Credential Service Provider (CSP)?

A CSP is a trusted entity, in this case 1Kosmos, responsible for ID verification, onboarding and delivery of strong phishing resistant credentials. 1Kosmos acts as a managed service, verifying and authenticating citizens and residents accessing government data and services. From initial registration to ongoing authentication, the 1Kosmos CSP plays a vital role in ensuring secure access.

There are five main considerations a full service a CSP can deliver:

• Security: A CSP must have robust security measures in place to protect against unauthorized access and cyber threats. This includes advanced encryption protocols, secure storage of credentials, and continuous monitoring for suspicious activity.
• Compliance: Meeting stringent regulations and standards – some industry, some governmental – is a fundamental requirement for any CSP.
• User Experience: While security is paramount, a seamless user experience is crucial for user adoption and operational efficiency. A user-centric approach ensures that the authentication process is intuitive and easy to navigate.
• Privacy: Privacy and security of citizen biometrics and other personal identifiable Information (PII) is critical to comply with 230+ similar privacy regulations around the world, including California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). It is also important to give residents the assurance they need that their information is not accessible without their explicit consent.
• Access for All: Providing equality in access to all citizens and residents is complicated, while much of the population may have access to mobile devices and desktops, that will not be the case for some, and therefore alternate use cases will need to be considered and addresses

Why is a CSP Needed?

Demands by residents for digital government services have resulted in rampant identity fraud, costing taxpayers millions. Stopping fraud means blocking synthetic and stolen identities during the application process and securing resident accounts from phishing and social engineering attacks aimed at account takeover. Delivering these services is no easy task. Investment in hardware, software, and management resources is high, with little return. Additionally, each agency would need to invest in delivering these services, creating a drain on taxpayers’ dollars while providing an experience that differs across all agencies.

Government agencies face unique challenges in implementing and maintaining effective identity management solutions. From the complexity of integrating with existing IT systems to stringent compliance requirements, these challenges can often hinder the adoption of robust identity management solutions. This is where a CSP solves these unique problems.

Elevating Government Identity Management with 1Kosmos

As a leading provider of identity management solutions, 1Kosmos is uniquely positioned to elevate the way government agencies approach credential service and identity management. By leveraging the capabilities available in the 1Kosmos Credential Service Provider (CSP) solution, government agencies can unlock a range of benefits that set 1Kosmos apart in the market.

• Robust Identity Proofing and Credential Issuance

1Kosmos’ CSP solution enables government agencies to perform Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) identity verification and issue Authentication Assurance Level 2 (AAL2) credentials that are certified to NIST 800-63-3 standards. This ensures a high level of confidence in the identity of citizens and residents accessing services and resources.

• Secure and Decentralized Identity Management

The 1Kosmos CSP leverages a “privacy by design” approach, empowering residents with complete control over their personal information. By utilizing a private and permissioned distributed ledger, the solution decentralizes data storage and eliminates the risk of a centralized “honeypot” of personally identifiable information (PII).

• Combating Fraud and Phishing

1Kosmos’ CSP incorporates advanced security measures to combat phishing and fraudulent activities targeting citizens and residents. The solution offers a streamlined, self-service identity verification process and leverages phishing-resistant authentication methods, such as FIDO passkeys and biometric authentication, to enhance the overall security posture, safeguarding citizen and resident accounts.

• Seamless Integration and Interoperability

1Kosmos’ CSP is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing government IT systems and infrastructure, reducing the complexity and time required for implementation. Additionally, the solution’s adherence to open standards ensures interoperability across different government agencies and systems, enabling a unified approach to identity management.

• Scalability and Cost-Effectiveness

The 1Kosmos CSP is highly scalable, allowing government agencies to accommodate growing user and transaction volumes without incurring significant additional costs. By automating identity enrollment and authentication processes, the solution also helps to reduce IT management overhead and operational expenses.

• Non-Biased Decisioning and Access for All

1Kosmos adopts an innovative approach to identity proofing and authentication based on deterministic verification of an individual to truly identify the user behind a device rather than assuming identity based on how closely they resemble a static, unverified biometric. 1Kosmos utilizes government-issued identification documents and live biometrics to identify and authenticate citizens and residents. At no time is anyone compared to others in a database. Their real, live biometrics and government issued IDs are used to verify their identities digitally, just as they would be verified in person, but without human error.

• Privacy-Preserving Identity Management

1Kosmos’ CSP is designed with a strong focus on privacy protection. The solution employs advanced cryptographic techniques, cryptographically paired public-private key architectures and zero-knowledge proofs, to enable citizens to selectively disclose only the necessary information required for authentication, without revealing their full identity details. This ensures that personal data is kept secure and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access or misuse.

By choosing 1Kosmos as their credential service provider, government agencies can leverage these key benefits to enhance the security, efficiency, and user experience of their identity management initiatives. As agencies strive to modernize their identity management capabilities and comply with evolving regulatory requirements, 1Kosmos’ CSP delivers a complete full-service solution that addresses the unique challenges faced by the government sector.

If you would like to learn more about our CSP click here.

Read the press release here.

Get a demo of the 1Kosmos CSP.

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