EgisTec ES603 - fingerprint scanner for 500 rubles or we introduce biometric authorization

    This Monday, the Box Overview blog is a mini-review of a Chinese copy of EgisTec's widely-used fingerprint scanner - ES603. Such scanners are very often used in laptops and mobile devices.

    But in this case, I will talk about the scanner in a separate case, which can be connected to any computer.


    Scanner:

    Box:

    Includes wire and instructions. Instructions, if interested, are in the album. Yes, also a disk from which the program does not start. Scanner itself: Sensor, on the side - MiniUSB. The board is just as simple: On the reverse side there is only a bit of fuss: It turns out that everything is implemented in the “scanner” module - from, in fact, scanning, to processing, and communicating with the computer. Outside, only capacitors, quartz, and a pair of LEDs with strapping are handed out. Wonders. By the way, I suspect that 4 tinned holes are the same USB.














    I must say that this scanner is not entirely “full-fledged” - it does not transfer any fingerprint to the computer, so you will not get beautiful pictures with a papillary pattern from it. As I understand it, he stores all the information about the prints in the form of some kind of model. Roughly speaking, when you write a fingerprint from a computer, the command “poke a finger at you now, write down fingerprint No. 5”. And when checking - "they poked a finger at you, check, is this fingerprint No. 5?"

    Software:

    A small problem was that the application on the standard disk refused to run in Windows 7. Generally. From the word at all. And if the driver was relatively easy to find (here it is ), then I had to tinker with the program. A work program was found on the BioExcess website, but I was not happy that the full version costs $ 40. Of course, I didn’t really want to buy a scanner for $ 16 and pay two and a half times more for the program to it :)
    Fortunately, most laptop manufacturers, when embedding fingerprint scanners in their computers, do not bother with writing their own program, but license it with BioExcess. Therefore, this program in various variations is available on the websites of many companies, such as HP, Acer, Lenovo, as a complete program for laptops equipped with a scanner. This is a plus. And minus - that most programs do not want to work with an unknown device, preferring “native” scanners. It is clear that they are native only in name and device codes, inside is the same controller, but still.
    With a rootless Chinese (or even a Chinese copy) of the original controller, only Lenovo's program earned 6 or 7 in a row. Of course, I carefully saved it so that you would not look for it in the wilds of the site, but download it via a direct link:tyts .

    Download the driver and program .
    Install the driver and program :) Reboot.
    In the device manager, the scanner looks like this:

    We start BioExcess, it offers to enter the password for the current account:

    And remember the fingerprints:

    Each finger will have to be drawn several times on the scanner. This indirectly confirms my idea that no images of fingerprints are stored there - immediately there is a certain mathematical model.

    Of course, later only once will be enough to recognize the finger.
    You can assign a program, link, or file to each fingerprint:

    Just swipe your finger on the scanner - a pre-installed program starts.
    Any file on the disk can be encrypted, and bind its decryption to a fingerprint:

    Or move it to a hidden drive that cannot be opened without a fingerprint. Or password.
    If you drag your finger along the scanner with any attached finger, the program will display this plate with the main functions:

    And new icons will be added to the login window:

    They don’t carry any useful function, they just show that fingerprint authorization is possible, and the scanner status:

    From left to right: ready to read , fingerprint not detected, scanner not connected, too fast or slow.
    It is interesting that with several logins, if everyone has the program installed and fingerprints are driven in, you don’t need to select the user, just swipe your finger and you will immediately be logged in with the account of the finger owner.

    Cost:

    At the TomTop store, this scanner costs $ 16.38, and is available in two versions that differ only in body color: black and silver .

    Conclusions:

    The reader performs its main function quite tolerably - it allows you to configure fingerprint login, access to an encrypted disk and automatic password entry when entering the site (though only in IE). In combination with such a cost - the perfect solution for a home computer, if you want to configure a separate input, you do not want long passwords. Or to "play around", "surprise colleagues", of course.

    Nevertheless, it should be noted that the scanner itself does not increase security - for this it will be necessary to set a long and crack-resistant password.
    On the other hand, by setting a complex password, it will be possible for the user not to tell him how to eliminate an additional security risk - since the user does not know the password, it will be very difficult to lose it.
    I already introduced the long rows of computers in the office with fingerprint scanners. And it’s hard to get in, and they don’t forget the passwords (and do not hang pieces of paper with them on the monitor).

    References:

    The question in which they helped me to get him
    Description of the protocol of work

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    What is your attitude to fingerprint biometric identification?

    • 7.4% Great thing, I use it on all devices. 114
    • 26.8% Comfortable, but not more than 412
    • 20.4% 315 helps in some situations
    • 38.7% Toy, serious use is meaningless 595
    • 6.5% Unsafe, therefore harmful. 101

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