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Remote Access Assistance

If a user encounters trouble accessing NIST remotely, the following questions/answers may assist in troubleshooting.

My computer is not NIST-owned. May I use the Remote Access Service? 

Personally owned computers are not permitted. The Remote Access service supports NIST-owned computers. Support for users with non-NIST computers is limited. Access from Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) owned by other agencies or other authorized computers that are configured to meet NIST remote access requirements may be permitted. Contact your OU ITSO to receive authorization for other systems. 

How many times will I be able to enter my PIN before I am locked out of the system? 

If you enter your PIV PIN incorrectly 6 times in a row, you will lock your badge and be unable to log in. You will have to visit iTAC or the NIST Badging Office to unlock your PIV card badge. 

For the following issues, you will need to contact the NIST Information Technology Assistance Center (iTAC):

  • Received an error message that says, “Certificate Validation Failure.”
  • VPN connection drops and reconnects frequently. 
  • Unable to connect with YubiKey. 
  • All other issues. 

How to Contact iTAC 

Contact the NIST Information Technology Assistance Center (iTAC) Monday through Friday, 7:30am-7:00pm, Eastern UTC-5 and Mountain UTC-7 time. NIST staff seeking remote access assistance may contact iTAC in Gaithersburg, Maryland at 301-975-5375, option 2, or Boulder, Colorado, at 303-497-5375, option 2. 

Created August 11, 2009, Updated April 24, 2025