News Item Dated: 18 September 2002
From: Technology Research News (09/11/02); Smalley, Eric

Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a laptop security system that does not even require the user to be aware of it.

The system involves users wearing a hardware token--such as a watch or piece of jewelry--that communicates to a computer via encrypted radio signals; as long as the token stays within a few feet of the machine, the files remain unlocked. The files are then locked whenever the token is moved out of signal range. The system eliminates the headache of re-entering passwords or using cards with magnetic stripes that users often leave in the card reader, notes the University of Michigan's Brian Noble. Instead, users only enter their password once to establish a connection between the token and the computer. Encryption helps speed the locking times, as the token's keys would take too long to directly lock and unlock files.

Noble estimates that it could take as long as five years to develop practical applications for the technology, with embedding sufficient battery life within the token being the chief hurdle. Noble and colleague Mark Corner will disclose their research, funded with the help of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Science Foundation, and others, in late September at the International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking.

Interested? For further reading, check out this link: http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2002/090402/Radio_ID_locks_lost_laptops_090402.html