Things you should know about the ECA program
- IdenTrust is one of a limited number of approved ECA vendors, having received our Approval to Operate (ATO) in November 2007 after a rigorous certification program.
- ECA certificates are digital credentials that attest to the certificate owner’s identity and affiliation. They can be issued to people who reside in the U.S. or in a country that is approved by the U.S. government. The Department of Defense (DoD) relies on these credentials to ensure the identity of a user who is accessing DoD information systems.
- ECA certificates may only be issued to individuals who are affiliated with an organization that interacts with DoD systems. This affiliation will be designated during the application process and will be confirmed prior to certificate issuance.
- IdenTrust also offers DoD-approved TLS/SSL certificates to secure website applications.
- Medium Assurance ECA certificates that are issued to affiliated individuals can be used to:
- Establish your identity when accessing a protected site;
- Legally “sign” a document, form or application using a digital signature; and
- Encrypt messages (email) or documents to ensure confidentiality. (email signing and encryption will work on client based email version of the following.)
- Much like a driver’s license or a passport, ECA certificates are unique to each individual and cannot be shared. It is against DoD regulations to share a username and password or to allow someone to access another’s ECA certificate for any reason. Violation of this policy will result in the immediate revocation of the original owner’s certificate.
- ECA certificates are stored in a software version on your computer’s hard drive or on a hardware device (i.e., a smart card or USB token) for portability and added security. The type of ECA certificate you purchase may dictate the required type of certificate storage mechanism.
- Please be aware that DoD policy requires that you retrieve your certificate within 30 days from the date your forms are signed. If you are not able to complete this process and retrieve your certificate before that time elapses, your application will be cancelled and you will need to start this process again from the beginning. Before starting your application, please ensure that you will be able to complete all steps within 30 days.
To purchase a DoD ECA certificate, simply select BUY NOW and use our Certificate Selection Wizard to determine the best certificate for your application.