CAC Setup — Manjaro ThinkPad

Overview

CAC authentication configured and working on Manjaro ThinkPad using OpenSC + pcscd. Tested against Office 365 / DoD sites via Firefox.

Stack

Middleware: pcscd (pcsc-lite)
PKCS#11 module: OpenSC — /usr/lib/opensc-pkcs11.so
Browser: Firefox
Test tool: pcsc_scan (pcsc-tools)

Working Session Flow

Ensure pcscd is running:
```
sudo systemctl start pcscd
```
Verify card is detected (keep running in terminal):
```
pcsc_scan
```
Confirm reader and card state are both visible before proceeding.
Open Firefox and navigate to CAC-protected site — certificate prompt should appear.

Firefox PKCS#11 Module

One-time setup (persists across sessions, but may reset after Firefox updates):

Firefox → Preferences → Privacy & Security
Scroll to Security section → click Security Devices
Click Load
Module name: DoD CAC
Module filename: /usr/lib/opensc-pkcs11.so

Note: Firefox updates have been observed to clear this setting. If CAC auth stops working after a Firefox update, re-load the module using the steps above before troubleshooting anything else.

Enable pcscd on Boot

Run once so the daemon starts automatically — eliminates step 1 above on future sessions:

sudo systemctl enable pcscd

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
`pcsc_scan` shows no reader	Check USB connection, try `sudo
systemctl restart pcscd`
Reader visible but card not detected	Remove and reinsert CAC
Firefox not prompting for cert	Re-load OpenSC module in Security
Devices (see above)
pcscd daemon crashed	`sudo systemctl restart pcscd`, then re-run
`pcsc_scan`

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