CAC Card Reader

What is a CAC Card Reader?

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:35:15 +0000

Before I get into what a CAC card reader is, I need to let you know some other things. First of all, what is a CAC Card? CAC stands for Common Access Card. It is distributed by the Department of Defense to those involved in the Department Of Defense in some way. It is used as a standard identification card for many people involved in the military, including:

-Active Duty Personnel

-Reserve Personnel

-National Guard Members

-Civilian Employees

-State Employees of the National Guard

-ROTC Cadets

-Public Health Service

-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

-Emergency-Essential Employees

-Eligible Contractor Personnel

All of these different types of people need a Common Access Card for some specific use. Not all Common Access Cards are enabled to provide every single user with the same exact access, a contractor for example may only be allowed to access what he needs to aceess in order to get his job done. This is done in order to maintain national security.

It can be used as an official identification card according to the Geneva Conventions. It is also used for authentication to enable access to Department Of Defense network computers, networks and certain DOD facilities. This card allows encrypting and signing e-mail cryptographically.

The Common Access Card is a controlled item and only a limited number of them are released. As of 2008, 17 million of these cards have been issued, 3.5 million of them are in circulation unterminated. It began distribution in 2006. The USA Department of Defense was one of the first and only governments to use this type of card.

A card reader is a computer peripheral (basically, a computer accessory) which has the ability to communicate with a memory card. It can decode and decipher its data making it accessible to the computer user. Many can be installed into a physical computer. Others are USB based and are simply plugged into the computer. The card will have a memory chip which is read by the reader.

A CAC Card Reader is used to read the information stored on the card. Most CAC card readers will work with any operating system, although there have been problems reported with the 64-bit Vista systems. They are available at Base PX or at retail stores like Best Buy, although you may need to ask for them, or special order. You can also get them through many retail online outlets.

The CAC Card Reader is used not only to read information that you may have stored on your Common Access Card, but also in order to access certain government protected sites, including Department of Defense and military sites which are not publicly accessible. This enables employees to get work done from home or from abroad. This is especially used when deployed abroad and an employee needs to access a database or site from overseas. Common Access Cards have enabled many soldiers to get the information they need to get in a very convenient and easy fashion.

What is a CAC Card Reader? is from CAC Card Reader

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SCM SCR3310 USB Smart Card Reader Common Access CAC ID DOD

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:24:31 +0000

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SCM SCR3310 USB Smart Card Reader Common Access CAC ID DOD is from CAC Card Reader

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SCM SCR331 USB Common Access CAC Smart Card Reader, CCID Compatible for Windows 7 Vista XP Mac and Linux Computers

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:23:09 +0000

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GemPC Twin USB DoD Military Common Access CAC Smart Card Reader For Windows 7 Vista XP Mac and Linux Computers

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:22:44 +0000

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CAC Smart Card Reader

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:21:20 +0000

A CAC Smart Card Reader is used by somebody who is given a CAC Smart Card. This would usually be someone who works for the government or is contracted through the Department of Defense. Although you have to work there to recive a CAC Smart card, you can get a CAC Smart Card Reader in many more places.

The most common places to find one of these is at the base PX, or at your local Best Buy, or other consumer elctronics store. Be sure to ask around, if you do not see them, sometimes they stock them, but don’t keep them out. You can also get one online at Amazon, or several other stores.

These are usually fairly inexpensive in price, ranging from about fifteen to thrity dollars. If you get one that is slightly more expensive, then it may read other smart cards, not just the cac card.

Please note that when you buy the CAC Smart card reader, you do not get the software which is required to use the reader. You must go to your base and talk to an administrator to get this. The software cannot be bought and cannot be downloaded off the internet! There is no other way to run these readers. Please read my article about CAC Card Reader software if you need more information.

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CAC Card Reader Software

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:14:30 +0000

There is one question about cac card reader that I hear more often than any other. That is, “Where can I get software for my cac card reader?”

This is a great question, and I will explain why. You can get a cac card reader from almost any store which sells electronics, (including Amazon, Best Buy, and your PX). These are just the readers and do not include the software needed to run them. If you think about it, it would be a very bad idea to let just anyone have the software required to run a cac card reader. Suppose a terrorist got a hold of your cac card and went to Best Buy and bought a cac card reader. All they would have to do is plug it in, set it up and they will have access to way too much information. This is not safe. It is because of this security issue that you cannot get the software at a regular store. You cannot even get it at your PX.

The only way you can possibly obtain the software required for using your cac card reader is to speak to an administrator at your base. They will not give this software to anyone who is not active in the military, it is simply a security issue. If you have been given a cac card and intend to use it at home, you simply need to speak to someone at the base, they will be able to give you the software and install on your computer any other necessary security features which may be needed to run the software. DO NOT uninstall any of these things yourself. It is usually best to have a computer which is dedicated to this purpose and none other, because if you add software to the computer you could potentially be breaching the security software which is now on your computer.

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