Enhancing Security With a Touch of Your Fingertip

Biometrics. It’s a term that refers to the use of your physical characteristics--fingerprints, iris or voice--to ascertain your identity. In the past, it was the type of thing you saw only in “Mission: Impossible” or a James Bond movie. That’s because top-secret government agencies were about the only ones who could afford the technology.

But biometrics has gotten cheaper, and it’s about to change the way you start your PC.

This month, Compaq ([800] 345-1518; https://www.compaq.com) is making available a fingerprint reader for its Deskpro, Armada PCs and Professional Workstations designed to enhance security on networks running the Windows NT operating system. The Fingerprint Identification Technology eliminates the need for passwords with a fingerprint reader mounted on the side of each workstation’s monitor. The price is expected to be less than $100.

If you don’t have a Compaq computer on a Windows NT network, a number of companies are bringing to market low-cost fingerprint systems designed to work with any Pentium-based Windows 95/98 personal computer. Among them are Biometric Access Corp., with its SecureTouch product ([512] 246-3760; https://www.biometricaccess.com), and Digital Persona, with its U.are.U package ([877] 378-2738; https://www.digitalpersona.com). Although both products are more expensive than the Compaq fingerprint reader--a little under $200--they do offer home and small-office users affordable, state-of-the-art security.

I evaluated Digital Persona’s U.are.U fingerprint system and was impressed. For starters, it is a breeze to set up. One low point with the Compaq product is that the fingerprint reader plugs into both the printer port and mouse port, with pass-through connectors for the other devices that need those ports. The U.are.U reader is a USB (universal serial bus) device, meaning it plugs into just your USB port, which it can happily share with more than 100 other devices.

The setup software is very simple and takes only a few minutes. As the first user of the system on a particular computer, you automatically become the administrator for that system. The setup software first asks you to identify which finger you want to “enroll,” then directs you to place your finger on the reader four times. From just those four reads, the software gathers enough information to identify you forevermore. Plus you can enroll all 10 fingers if you want and use them interchangeably to identify yourself.

The next time you start your computer, you’re prompted to place your finger on the pad during the start-up sequence. The computer won’t boot up until you comply. From then on, it’s business as usual.

You can also have your regular Windows screen-saver password protected through the U.are.U software. Once enabled, your screen saver will stay active until you give the reader the appropriate one-finger salute. This means you don’t have to worry about snoopers when you’re away on a coffee break.

I mentioned earlier that as the first user you’re considered the administrator. This brings up a good point. While the U.are.U system is a great way to keep other people out of your stuff, it’s equally effective for maintaining security on a personal computer that’s shared by several people. As administrator, you can enroll additional users, each with a unique set of privileges. When the computer starts up, U.are.U recognizes which user has his or her finger on the pad and adjusts security accordingly.

As an added measure of security, Digital Persona also offers a separate software package called Private Space. (They’re bundling it with U.are.U for a limited time, so check their Web site.) This package creates special encrypted areas, or soft partitions, on your hard drive that only you can access. This is great if you have more than one person using your PC. Even if an authorized user logs on to the system, he won’t be able to access the area containing your files without your finger’s OK.

I’ll be the first to admit that fingerprint scanners aren’t for everyone. But if you hate passwords as much as I do, and you need to make sure that your private computer files remain private, this is one solution worth looking into.

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Kim Komando is a TV host, syndicated talk radio host and author. You can visit her on the Internet at https://www.komando.com or e-mail her at komando@komando.com. Her national talk radio program can be heard on Saturdays from 7 to 9 a.m. on 97.1 KLSX-FM.