Limiting the use of Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) smart cards and readers will create significant security vulnerabilities in our maritime infrastructure, the Smart Card Alliance Access Control Council said in comments submitted this week to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Smart Card Alliance’s comments referred to the Coast Guard’s Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Reader Requirements Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The rulemaking proposes limiting the use of tamper-resistant, biometrically-enabled TWIC smart cards and readers, and proposes relying on visual inspection of TWIC cards as the primary security protocol for 95% of the maritime user population.
