Bio-protected USB stick boots Debian Linux

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Jul. 22, 2005

A biometrics company has launched a consumer products division that is shipping its first product -- a 256MB USB Flash drive loaded with Debian Linux. Bionopoly's FingerGear division will follow up next month with a Computer-on-a-Stick (COS) model incorporating a fingerprint scanner and LCD display.

Fingergear's currently available Computer-on-a-Stick (COS) model includes an embedded Linux operating system based on Debian. The OS is optimized and tested to support a wide range of hardware, while requiring as little storage space as possible, according to Alan Langman, PhD., one of three engineers involved in developing and testing the COS over a two-year period. The COS can boot x86 computers capable of booting from USB, or from CD-ROM thanks to a downloadable initrd kernel image.

The COS includes a clean, simple desktop
(Click to enlarge)
COS includes Firefox, Evolution, OpenOffice, a PDF viewer and creator, GAIM chat client, and compression utilities -- everything needed in a portable computing environment, FingerGear says. The software is tied to the physical device using a special key, preventing illicit copies, according to Langman. User bookmarks, address book, emails, and office documents are stored securely on the device, using the Linux kernel's filesystem encryption capability. A user password is required for each session, and no trace is left on the host PC, the company says.

For convenient transfer of non-sensitive data, COS also includes a "public" folder, enabling the device to function as any normal USB mass storage device would.

A "Bio COS" model set to ship next month will add a fingerprint scanner and LCD display. FingerGear says the Bio model can authenticate users in less than two seconds, with a better than 1:10,000 false acceptance rate. It supports one admin user, and up to five additional users. Full system startup time is typically less than 40 seconds from power-on, the company says. Biometric authentication adds only about $50 to the price of the base model.

The "Bio" FingerGear models include a fingerprint scanner and LCD

Additionally, FingerGear offers a "Bio USB" version, a basic biometrically secured USB storage device, without any embedded operating system capabilities.

Availability

The Computer-on-a-Stick is available now, priced at $149, in colors that include blue, silver, or clear. The Bio Computer-on-a-Stick will ship next month, priced at $199. The COS requires an x86 PC with 128MB of RAM, a video card and monitor capable of SVGA (1024 x 768) resolution, and a USB port (USB 2.0 recommended).

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