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Digital Persona's Kiosk fingerprint reader package is exactly what you need.

I deployed the Workstation Pro package at my last job. It works great, and has group policy ADM templates to aid in setup and deployment.

-ted

I'm pretty sure Targus and Digital Persona both produce the kind of addon you're looking for. Also, there's a biometric flash key available. Hope this helps :)

First things first: This is a Windows only device. I'm sure someone will figure out how to get it working with something else, but it comes with software for Windows only.

This is the Digital Persona http://www.digitalpersona.com/ fingerprint scanner, rebranded by Microsoft. I actually use some of their older sensors at home, they're fairly cheap and easy to use.

How secure are they? Not very - these are the same sensors that can be bypassed with highly advanced Nasa Gummi Bear Technology. Yeah, get some latent prints, extrude them with superglue and a couple other items, then pour melted gummi bears into the mold to make a cool new fingerprint that can bypass the sensor.

That being a given, they are pretty damn cool, and extremely convenient. You just come over to your Wintendo XP system, put your finger on the sensor and you are in. You can whip up authentication for websites and applications in no time (although I haven't figured out yet how to get it to authenticate me into World of Warcraft). It really is a "password database" system, unlocked with a fingerprint.

BTW, if you decide to buy these go with Microsoft's sensors - Digital Persona is notoriously stingy with application upgrades. Not that it matters, the supplied software still works with my newest WinXP perfectly, but I feel kinda weird running the 1.0.3 version of a product now in 2.x. MS has traditionally been pretty good about providing updated software for their hardware.

The way I look at it, it can keep people (friends, girlfriend, visitors) away from your Windows box without requiring you to enter a password every time you come back to it:

Now you can press windows-L, get up, get a coke, come back, give the pc the finger (preferrably middle ;) and get back to browsing pr0n without anyone getting into your session ;).

Not only that, but it will even allow for Fast User Switching just by putting in someone else's finger. Bonus!

-Jack Ash

I would use the crypto ibutton as an authentication scheme, possibl storing the password.

If you're looking for fingerprint login that integrates well with Win2k, check into the DigitalPersona U.are.U stuff.

I have their inexpensive "UareU Pro" system, and it works great for (literally) one-touch Win2k logins. You can integrate it with your domain server to make fingerprint logins universal, but even just on a local workstation, it works fine.
Unfortunately, zero Linux support.

You can use the fingerprint biometrics for an encrypted virtual drive with additional software, but without any documentation or peer review of their encrypted storage, it's impossible to evaluate their security.

You can readily integrate the Novell login into the NT login. I see it all the time at a local unnamed government entity who is one of my customers. In addition to all the other mentions regarding SAMBA, etc. to synchronize passwords with systems, I really like the hardware keys and biometrics.

I use fingerprint authentication on several systems here. I enjoy it. It works. To a point. Just don't was your hands right before logging in. That causes enough tissue swelling that you can't get an accurate reading. I use a $100 scanner from Digital Persona that we routinely pick up at Fry's. These things are very flexible and cheap enough to be used on any USB system. They currently only have Windoze support for their drivers, but I haven't checked in a while. I like the hardware tokens like iButton which can store enough data to provide a login for each individual system. Some awefully large amount of storage for keys and completely waterproof, etc.

If you want to keep people from taking them home and losing them, have a security guard type checkout for these bad little boys. That depends upon your level of security, of course. If someone loses one, it can be disabled from the network immediately and a new one issued. Every time they lose one, dock their pay! I know their union would have a fit for that! ;-)