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RECENT LAPTOP THEFTS COULD HAVE BEEN A PROPERTY CRIME, NOT A
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT
An innovative technology from
WinMagic Inc. and Precise Biometrics reduces the threat of data
theft by locking down computers with strong encryption and
biometrics.
(June 20, 2006 – Washington, DC)
Today with more than data and personnel on the move organizations
are left with huge security holes in even the tightest network
security solution. The recent laptop theft with the District of
Columbia government, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and
Hotels.com are another in a series of examples of data mishaps that
place personal information at risk. Combine those thefts have
potential put the data of approximately 27 million people at risk of
identity theft.
The team of WinMagic and Precise Biometrics has come together to
offer the solution to secure that data, so that the theft of a
laptop no longer poses a threat to individuals’ privacy or national
security. The solution is called pre-boot authentication, and it
combines strong encryption – endorsed by the National Security
Agency – along with smart card and biometric authentication.
The rationale behind pre-boot authentication is to make the
information on the computer inaccessible by not letting it boot up
without authorized permission. The pre-boot authentication
technology locks the computers hard drive down with encryption at
its most basic level or BIOS and only allows it to be unlocked by
the combination of a smart card and biometric making it near to
impossible for unauthorized access to the data.
Most biometric-based logical access control systems
are designed to grant computer access at the operating system (OS)
level, generally by securing logon to a Windows OS. Unfortunately,
this leaves the computer’s hard disk exposed and vulnerable to
hacking before the biometric authentication can take place.
This vulnerability is solved by the WinMagic and
Precise Biometrics’ solution by securing the entire hard drive at
the BIOS level before any OS can be loaded. The entire drive
contents are now fully encrypted and protected with dual-factor
(biometric and smartcard) authentication.
The solution offered by WinMagic and Precise Biometrics is a part of
a pilot project with the Department of State, which will lead the
department to a Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12
(HSPD-12) and FIPS 201 compliant solution, and its software is FIPS
140 Level 2 certified.
For further information, please contact Christer Bergman,
President & CEO, Precise Biometrics AB. telephone +1(0) 703 405
8255, or +46 (0) 730 35 67 26 or via email
christer.bergman@precisebiometrics.com or Thi Nguyen-Huu through
contact Chuck Hester, APR, director of public relations, Koroberi,
Inc. by phone at (919) 960-9794 ext. 24 or by e-mail at
chuck@koroberi.com for media
interviews or comment on current news stories.
About Precise Biometrics
Precise Biometrics AB (publ.) is an innovative security company
that supplies world-leading systems for fingerprint and smart
card-based authentication. The company's solutions replace keys, PIN
codes and passwords and enhance the integrity of ID cards and
passports. With its proprietary Precise Match-on-Card(TM)
technology, the company is a market leader within smart ID cards.
The group headquarters are in Lund, Sweden. It also has subsidiaries
in London and Washington, DC. Precise Biometrics is listed on the
O-list of the Stockholm Stock Exchange (symbol: PREC A). For more
information, please visit
http://www.precisebiometrics.com/.
About WinMagic Inc.
WinMagic Inc., is a Canadian company based in Mississauga, Ontario.
Its SecureDoc line of products ensures protection of sensitive
information stored on desktops, laptops and PDA’s by employing
authentication through passwords to hardware tokens, biometrics, and
PKI commencing right at pre-boot time. WinMagic’s award winning
products fulfill the requirements of even the most security
conscious users by focusing on concrete security features,
nevertheless still offering unparalleled flexibility. For more
information concerning WinMagic’s products or services, please call
1-888-879-5879 (toll free in North America), +1 905 502-7000
(worldwide), or email
info@winmagic.com. |
