
NIST Special Publications 800-63A-4 (identity proofing and enrollment), SP 800-63B-4 (authentication), and SP 800-63C-4 (federation) provide organizations with an all-in-one guide to digital identity management. Their purpose is to help ensure authentication processes align with appropriate assurance levels while giving organizations confidence in federated identity assertions across online services.
What is NIST IAL3?
NIST 800-63-3 outlines NIST IAL3 as the highest level of identity proofing, which requires on-site attended verification of documents and biometrics to prevent impersonation attacks, SIM swaps and MFA bypasses by securely linking an enrollee’s real world identity with their credentials. ial3 identity verification software involves physically comparing enrollee facial images against photos from their identity evidence and liveness detection technology, and is more resource intensive than IAL2. However, this nist ial3 verification method can secure high stakes transactions like federal benefits access and odometer disclosures.
NIST recently revamped its identity system framework with greater granularity that allows for enhanced customization of assurance levels. Their new IAL-AAL-FAL model removes any notion of one, all-encompassing ordinal, allowing agencies to choose an AAL and IAL tailored specifically to their agency needs. As an example, new requirements deprecate email OTP authentication while significantly downgrading SMS-based authentication while mandating FIDO passkeys to strengthen AAL2. Reauthentication sessions must now have higher timeout limits than currently prescribed in NIST 800-63B to reduce risks such as users leaving devices unattended.
How does NIST IAL3 verification work?
IAL3 verification demands higher-quality evidence, more rigorous validation and verification procedures, superior biometric comparison to limit impersonation attacks, as well as mandatory phishing-resistant authentication with device-bound and syncable FIDO Passkeys integrated into AAL2 and AAL3 requirements of SP 800-63-4. Furthermore, this level expands federated assurance levels through formal incorporation of user wallets with verifiable credentials into its model, with cryptographic binding required for transactions conducted across boundaries.
As advanced fraud techniques increase, nist 800-63-4 ial3 compliance requirements can become increasingly challenging for organizations. But with HYPR Affirm’s Zero Trust approach and flexible identity proofing process, organizations can meet both business and security objectives through an adaptive identity proofing process that includes chat, video, facial recognition with liveness detection, document authentication and step-up re-proofing based on risk. This reduces cyber liability insurance costs while simultaneously improving security by decreasing attack surface; continuous identity proofing without disruption to user experience increases employee productivity.
What is NIST IAL3 compliance?
NIST defines identity assurance levels to quantify confidence that an identity claimed belongs to a real-world individual, which helps establish what level of rigor digital authentication must satisfy in order to be trusted.
fedramp high identity proofing through remote or in-person verification processes that include superior evidence such as government documents validated from credible sources and biometric verification. Furthermore, biometric comparison is mandatory. This level of identification should only be applied in high-stakes scenarios like accessing secure facilities or conducting sensitive transactions.
NIST SP 800-63-4 significantly strengthens FALs by mandating phishing-resistant authentication requirements, formal integrating FIDO2 Passkeys and user wallets, and mandating encryption as a requirement of AAL2 and AAL3. Furthermore, this guidance deprecates email OTP and severely downgrades SMS-based authentication, mandating CSPs provide a federation layer that supports FIDO2, as well as mandating that they offer services that support it. Finally, NIST SP 800-63-4 also introduces an enhanced DIRM framework by including risk considerations into business objectives, societal impacts, and individual users’ needs – further improving AAL2.
What is NIST IAL3 fedramp high identity proofing?
NIST Special Publication 800-63-4 outlines identity proofing requirements for FedRAMP High. It describes authentication assurance levels (AALs), such as PIV cards with hardware-backed authenticators technology embedded, as well as other requirements for those seeking access to sensitive systems.
AALs stipulate that CSPs establish an enrollment record for all those seeking access to resources, which can then be linked to authentication tokens enrolled with them. The binding process should be safe and reliable so as to thwart scalable attacks targeting large populations of people.
Contrary to lower AALs, the IAL3 standard calls for remote but supervised physical interaction between applicant and system in order to gather biometric evidence. The system must verify whether or not the subject claiming they are, step up reproofing depending on risk level, support inspection of subject’s face, eyes, fingers or palm to identify natural materials that have been added into human bodies as well as providing liveness detection capabilities that help detect forgeries.

