How to implement biometrics

How to implement biometrics

Fingerprint scanners and smart card readers can help control access and sidestep security problems with passwords.

Controlling access to college or university systems, including shared resources such as the JANET network, is essential. However, relying on users’ passwords can be a leap of faith. Academics and admin staff are free to choose bad passwords, forget them, share them with colleagues or write them down. This is why institutions are turning to biometrics (typically fingerprint scanners),smart cards or other tokens to authenticate users.

• Smart cards. A smart card is a credit card size device containing a chip that stores a unique, encrypted identification code. Like a front door key, a smart card can control access to a specific computer and user account.
  
  
• Tokens. Other authentication options include USB keys and cryptographic tokens.
  
  
• Fingerprint biometric scanners. Fingerprint scanners use digital scanners to read the user’s fingerprint and compare to fingerprint patterns stored on the computer. If they match, the computer grants access to the system.

How HP can help

HP ProtectTools Security Manager is the starting point for HP’s solution to this problem. It is an integrated suite of security software that manages the features built into many HP Notebook and Desktop PCs.

It allows IT managers to set central policies and ensure that they are implemented on computers, simplifying security. It also gives users a single control panel to configure the security features of their computer.

It includes several components to manage authentication and credentials:

• BIOS Configuration allows you to set a BIOS password preventing unauthorised users from bypassing other security features.
  
  
• Credential Manager lets users log in to Windows and other password-protected programs and websites with a single sign-on, using either a password, fingerprint scanner or smart card (or a multi-factor combination of them). Single sign-on helps users stay secure without having to remember dozens of different passwords.
  
  
• Smart Card security for HP ProtectTools allows you to manage smart card initialisation, security settings and integration with the BIOS.
  
  
• Embedded Security for HP ProtectTools allows you to configure and manage HP Notebooks’ built-in Trusted Computing Module security chip.
  
  
• Drive Encryption for HP ProtectTools allows you to encrypt all or some of the data stored on a hard drive so that it becomes unreadable to an unathorised person.
  
  
• Device Access Manager for HP ProtectTools allows you to control ports and removable storage devices on a system in order to prevent unauthorised users copying data to removable media (e.g. via a USB stick).

In addition to HP ProtectTools, HP also incorporates smart card readers and biometric scanners into many of it’s desktops and laptops that make the ProtectTools effective, without having to deal with sourcing the third party hardware and ensure it is carried with the device at all times.

Benefits

Using HP ProtectTools and smart card readers or fingerprint scanners has a number of benefits:

• Improved security compared with passwords alone
  
  
• Less work for users – no passwords to remember and a single sign-on
  
  
• Fewer support calls when users forget passwords
  
  
• Smart cards can be used in other security applications, such as unlocking doors
  
  
• Centralised policy management
  
  
• Can restrict access by third party hardware (such as USB sticks) that can introduce malware.