San Diego, CA, Jan. 3, 2008 -  ImageWare® Systems, Inc. (AMEX: IW), a leading developer of identity management solutions, today announced the company’s patented multimodal biometric platform, also known as, IWS™ Biometric Engine®, has received Minutiae interoperability Exchange (MINEX) Certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This certification is in support of the company’s continued efforts to provide Personal Identity Verification (PIV) solutions in compliance with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD 12) Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS 201).

“This certification further demonstrates ImageWare’s commitment to developing technology that is interoperable and standards based, as well as validates our strategy to be an effective component of any Federal agency’s plan for smart-card based identity solutions,” said Jim Miller, ImageWare’s chairman and CEO. “ImageWare’s IWS Biometric Engine has met the functional and performance requirements of the NIST MINEX program in its capacity as a Template Generator and Template Matcher for the fingerprint minutia templates used in the HSPD-12 / FIPS-201 / PIV program. We are pleased to be certified which enables our company, systems integrators and solutions partners to further pursue and compete for HSPD-12 related business.”
ImageWare previously received NIST certifications for its PIV Middleware product and secure credential software which led to approval and placement of these products on the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) approved product listing (APL) as part of the GSA’s FIPS 201 Evaluation Program (GSA FIPS 201 APL).

The IWS Biometric Engine is a multi-biometric identity management solution used by government and commercial enterprises to biometrically search and match populations of unlimited sizes for identity confirmation. These include searching and matching for Verification of an Identity (1:1), Exhaustive Search for Identification (1:N), Watchlist Management (X:N) and Existing Biometric Population Management and Enhancement (N:N). IWS Biometric Engine employs a multi-biometric enrollment, management and authentication platform that is technology agnostic, enabling users to utilize biometric devices (over 120) and algorithms (over 90) from virtually any vendor, as well as support the combination of the following biometric types, including: single fingerprint, Livescan fingerprint, 2D face, 3D face, iris, palm scan, finger vein, palm vein, hand geometry, palm, DNA, signature, voice, and retina.

For more information about ImageWare’s products, please call (800) 842-4199 or e-mail at sales@iwsinc.com.

About ImageWare Systems, Inc.
ImageWare Systems, Inc. (AMEX:IW) is a leading developer of identity management solutions, providing biometric, secure credential and law enforcement technologies. Scalable for worldwide deployment, the Company's biometric product line includes a multi-biometric engine that is hardware and algorithm independent, enabling the enrollment and management of unlimited population sizes. ImageWare's identification products are used to manage and issue secure credentials including national IDs, passports, driver licenses, smart cards and access control credentials. ImageWare's digital booking products provide law enforcement with integrated mug shot, fingerprint Livescan and investigative capabilities. ImageWare is headquartered in San Diego, with offices in Washington DC and Canada. For more information visit www.iwsinc.com.

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