A recent trend saw biometric fingerprint readers being inserted into the bezels of just about every mid-range and high-end notebook that was released from about 2005 on. If you made a recent purchase, there’s a good chance you have one of these fingerprint reading strips sitting somewhere on your notebook.

Recently, these biometric fingerprint readers have started to be replaced by web cams mounted in the upper bezel of the notebook screen that, along with connecting you with friends and relatives across the miles (I supposed you could also flash complete strangers in various seedy cam-enabled chatrooms but this is a family publication) also allows you and other authorized users no-touch access to personal user accounts.

By taking a 3D facemap and associating it to a certain user account on a Windows Vista PC, all users have to do is sit in front of the web cam, wait a couple of seconds while it crunches data and then you’re in. No passwords, no finger swiping and no hassle.
With either a fingerprint- or face-reading security solution, it’s easy for authorized people to access your portable PC but difficult for other unauthorized would-be users.

The broad acceptance of biometrics in laptop PCs has brought similar desktop PC-based solutions back to the forefront. While there are few manufacturers making desktop biometric solutions, they are still readily available at retail. That said, the manufacturers, with a couple of exceptions, target business and enterprise markets where the need for good security is more poignant and more readily understood than it is with the general computer-using public. Consumer-only solutions like Microsoft’s aptly named Fingerprint Reader don’t make the lofty security claims that some other dedicated solutions do. Instead, they sell based on ease of use and on the fact that you can access your PC, any password-protected functions and your favourite web sites with just a quick fingerprint scan.

A security solution, like a chain, is only as strong as its weakest link. It’s important to note that even the most security-conscious biometric solution is only as effective as the password users set for the thing. Biometric security solutions can be bypassed with a password, either by registering an otherwise unauthorized fingerprint or by simply disabling the software. Using best practices for creating strong and difficult to crack passwords is among the easiest and most important steps when setting up your new biometric security solution.

Next: Microsoft’s Fingerprint Reader

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