Biometrics looks like the flavor of the season, as products for the desktop
debut. MouseFP is a three-button scroll mouse with a built-in optical scanner on
its left side, where your thumb would normally rest if you’re a right-handed
user. It can connect to your PC via the parallel port or USB. When you install
it, it will ask you for your fingerprint (you can use any finger for this), and
then verify that again. It stores your fingerprint, a 3 kB file, that needs to
be verified whenever you login. You can choose to verify with a password and
fingerprint, only a password, or only a fingerprint.
You can choose what you want to protect. By default, it integrates with your
screensaver; once your screensaver is activated,
you have to supply your
fingerprint to access your system. You can also protect only specific folders or
files with it. The software works with your right-click menu–you have to
right-click on the folder you want to protect, and choose the option of securing
it. It then encrypts the folder, sub-folders, down to each individual file, and
decrypts only when you put in your fingerprint to access it. You can also share
particular folders between two or more users–all the users have to then
register with their fingerprints. If you’re using MouseFP over your network,
users can access their desktops by logging in from any machine.
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While the user can change system settings–disable screensaver, edit his
fingerprint, etc–the administrator can add or remove users, as in a normal
network, except that each user has to provide his or her fingerprint. You can
also provide an emergency password that is used in the event of a system crash.
MouseFP software comes with APIs that let you integrate it with your own
software. That is, while developing your software, you can build in access to it
via fingerprints.
Price: Rs 13,100 for a parallel port, Rs 13,900 for a USB port
connection.
Contact: Antrix Tech Zone, Mumbai. Tel: 022-8061531. E-mail: antrix@vsnl.net
Pragya Madan in Mumbai