When a Password Just Isn’t Enough: the Use of Fingerprint Readers to Secure
Information
WHEN A PASSWORD JUST ISN’T ENOUGH: THE USE OF FINGERPRINT READERS TO SECURE INFORMATION
Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………..2
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….3
What is it and why should I use it? .............……………………………………………..4
Disadvantages ……………………………………………………………………………..5
Advantages ….……………………………………………………………………………..6
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..7
References………………………………………………………………………Appendix A
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
More and more these days our information is converted to digital data. This may streamline our daily activities and cut down on storage space, but it can have its disadvantages as well. Security has always been a problem administrators faced dating back to the first networks. Users daily face the question of what to do about securing their personal information without resorting to the tactics used by large companies. The measures once reserved for these great users of data are now available at a more reasonable cost to the personal home computer user. No matter what kind of security a user employs, none are without their faults. No sooner does new technology hit the shelves then it is followed up with software patches. Often manufacturers must deal with reports of its flaws being publicized in the media rather than the positive features. The internet is filled with ways around new security technologies. While there are many ways to protect information, you must first decide what is appropriate for your situation. Factors such as what is to be secured, costs, convenience, and what to do when there is an error are just a few of the reasons to consider the various options that will become an added layer of security for your system. One way to increase the safety of your system is to invest in a piece of computer hardware that will limit access to all things private. One such piece of hardware is the fingerprint scanner. This paper discusses the fingerprint scanner in general and its advantages and disadvantages. Passwords are simple tools employed in order to safeguard files, transactions, conversations via e-mail, and many other pieces of information taken to the digital side. Even before the proliferation of the World Wide Web, when it was referred to as such, there were those that devoted a lot of time and energy to stealing passwords. These days even the largest of conglomerations are not immune to theft of their electronically stored information. Unfortunately, studies presented as recently as February 2013 prove how easy it is to create an algorithm that will crack a password in a few hours. Adding more walls to surround the ‘treasure’ can serve to increase a user’s confidence in their system. In your backpack that is inside your vehicle safely parked in your driveway, you probably have a device that requires a password be entered before it can be unlocked. It is this layer that experts agree needs more work. By requiring more than a combination of a username and password the system is harder to access and therefore may deter some thieves. The use of biometric security can take your physical security to another level. The fingerprint reader does just that. Many manufacturers of mobile devices such as laptops and tablets have decided it is a good idea to incorporate a fingerprint reader into the physical layer of security. Several makers have already released versions that come with built-in readers and software that allow the owner to customize the settings nicely. A user still has the option of activating it at all, but one can easily see why it is worth the time to do so. On a new laptop, setup is extremely easy. A fingerprint scanner is a biometric device that can be used for such security purposes as safeguarding your laptop or external hard drive. Instead of using a
