Re: Broadcom Trusted Platform Module?
- From: Joe Morris <jcmorris@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 8 Oct 2005 19:42:33 +0000 (UTC)
William P. N. Smith <> writes:
>Joe Morris <jcmorris@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>why the slam for the smartcard reader?
>Because it doesn't seem to have any application, documentation, or
>use. I've tried plugging in a couple of smart cards (credit card,
>hospital card) and it doesn't _do_ anything. Maybe I'm expecting too
>much, but maybe a window that sez "Smart Card Inserted" would be nice,
>with some details about what the card is and what app I might need to
>do anything with it would be nice.
If you're running XP, the login invitation screen should read "Insert
card or press Ctrl-Alt-Del to begin". The reference to inserting a
card won't be there if the machine doesn't have a fully-installed card
reader. My only experience with smartcards is with the CAC (see below);
at least with the CAC if the middleware isn't installed you get a reasonably
explicit error message if you insert a card in response to this prompt.
>>from my standpoint (supporting about 6000 users worldwide)
>>having the built-in reader makes the current crop of Latitude models
>>much easier to use for smartcard applications
>Ah, Ok, I'm just trying to figure out what those applications might
>be, and coming up blank... Are there any small business apps, or
>credit card authorization programs, or security tokens I could use
>with it? So far I'd rather have type-II PCMCIA.
Depends on what data, in what format, has been placed on the
smartcard. Typical uses include token-based logon (i.e., you can't
log onto the machine without the smartcard, automatic feed of
the userid and password (protected with a PIN), and as a container
of a PKI private key.
Some uses require additional middleware to be installed before the
card is recognized. For example, the Department of Defence issues
smartcards called "Common Access Cards" ("CAC"); among the information
on the cards is biometrics (including fingerprints), the holder's
picture, a few PKI private and public encryption keys, domain login
information, rank, pay status, PX privileges, and demographic data.
For security, the data is signed using a DoD certificate so that
any corruption (deliberate or otherwise) of the data can be detected.
All of this requires a special CAC-aware middleware product, but
typical commercial use of a smartcard doesn't.
If you want more info about smartcards, one vendor site is
http://www.activcard.com (not the only vendor, of course). Click
through PRODUCTS -> AUTHENTICATION DEVICES for this vendor's
material.
Joe Morris
.
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