In this call we will explore the 2022 memorandum of the Executive Office of the President titled "Moving the U.S. Government Toward Zero Trust Cybersecurity Principles" and how the OCI open-credentialing architecture relates to these principles.

The W3C Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identifiers are innovative technologies that can significantly enhance the cybersecurity of the US Government, which is the focus of the Executive Office of the President's memorandum titled "Moving the U.S. Government Toward Zero Trust Cybersecurity Principles". 

Zero Trust Cybersecurity Principles entail a security model that assumes access to public as well as private networks, connections, systems, and devices may already be compromised by hostile actors. It includes an extensive authentication process for verifying user identity and authorization, access controls irrespective of network-location or device-type active monitoring, and end-to-end encryption. The Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identifiers offer a scalable platform for Federal agencies and their partners to build a Zero Trust Cybersecurity architecture that meets the Executive Office of the President's objectives. 

Verifiable Credentials provide a mechanism for individuals and organizations to maintain and control their information, enabling them to share online information securely while protecting their privacy. Moreover, these credentials are standardized, interoperable, and verifiable, allowing users to easily move their credentials across the network. Also, the underlying cryptographic algorithms ensure that Verifiable Credentials minimize the requirement for third-party intermediaries. 

Decentralized Identifiers, on the other hand, are a framework that function on top of existing protocols like the web, allowing users to have their identification, authentication, and verification functions under their control, regardless of the organization or framework offered. This feature makes Decentralized Identifiers perfect for Zero Trust Cybersecurity Principles as they provide a mechanism for secure, user-controlled identity management. They operate with W3C standards across multiple blockchain platforms and service providers, making them scalable and sustainable for the Federal Government. 

Overall, the incorporation of W3C Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identifiers constitutes an innovative solution for Zero Trust Cybersecurity Principles for the US federal government. These technologies offer a scalable, interoperable, and reliable way to guarantee strong, multifactor authentication that meets the rigorous security needs. Hence, they provide a much-required future-oriented solution for securing the US government's digital systems and infrastructure. 

Have a topic you'd like to discuss or hear from others?  Send us a note at hello@oc-i.org.

OCI - Industry Innovation Session
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