Protect Your Pocket PC with a Secret Sign

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.crypto-sign.com/pda-protect.php">http://www.crypto-sign.com/pda-protect.php</a><br /><br />I have been using <a href="http://www.crypto-sign.com/pda-protect.php">PDA-Protect from Transaction Security</a> for a while and I'd like to tell you guys about it. PDA-Protect uses a patent-pending authentication technology called Crypto-Sign which is based upon secret signs such as a signature or a drawing. The strength of a secret sign is that it is much harder for an intruder to guess how to draw a correct sign than guess a PIN-based or character based password. PDA-Protect overrides the Pocket PC's built-in password protection and it works great!<br /><br />PDA-Protect has been verified to work with iPAQ, Axim, Pocket PC Phone Edition and Toshiba Pocket PC and costs $10.00. The images below show you:<br />image 1 - drawing my secret sign<br />image 2 - PDA-Protect settings<br />image 3 - what it looks like after powering up my Pocket PC <!><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/pdaprotect_01.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/pdaprotect_02.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/pdaprotect_03.JPG" />

[sponge]

Looks just like CIC Sign-In to me.

[RodBeat]

The difference between CIC's product and PDA-Protect is that with PDA-Protect a secret sign is made the with the inking turned off and the sign is not necessarily the signature, which may be available to an impostor through hard copy. A foreshortened version of the signature plus a sequence of characters or numbers written above, after or below creates a secure secret sign and makes it very difficult for impostors to emulate. The submission of the secret sign can be used to release an authentic signature which is recorded as part of the "template" at registration.

[RodBeat]

Just to make it clear, my characterization of the difference between PDA-Protect and CIC's product is based upon my knowledge of PDA-Protect as its architect.

[Andy Sjostrom]

Just to make it clear, my characterization of the difference between PDA-Protect and CIC's product is based upon my knowledge of PDA-Protect as its architect.

Awesome! 8)

[trachy]

Looks cool. Sure wish I could try it for a few days...

[kcchesnut]

its like a poor mans signature / passkey biometric.

does it only take into account the end result ...
or does it also do total # of strokes,
time for each stroke,
total signing time,
time that stylus is raised vs time stylus is on screen?

casey

[Kicks]

It's a great product :)

I used the beta version for a few months and never had a problem. Well except when I forgot how I signed the screen :D

Congrats on it's full release Rod

[Rudism]

I wonder why they are so forthright with the whole 'patent-pending' speel. Patents are the spawn of evil. Why do they say it like it's a feature people would actually want?

[Andy Sjostrom]

Patents are the spawn of evil.?

Ehrm... what do you mean by that!? Patents enable companies to invest in research and development to make your life better and cure your illnesses. What's :evil: with that!?

[sponge]

And they then deny other companies to make the same medication, so they thus have no competition, and are forced to pay if you want to be better.

Maybe an exaggeration, but it's not as one sided as it seems, "[to] make your life better and cure your illnesses"

Back on topic though, I still don't quite get how this is different from Sign On. If you really wanted to, you could use signatures or little drawing in either program, no? I'm missing something large here.

[Kaber]

I think he is talking about software patents (http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/05/25/0327203&mode=thread&tid=155&tid=99). There's been quite a few bad ones making the news lately.

[Tim Jump]

What I'm curious about is how much leeway the program gives you when drawing your secret sign. For instance, in your example you drew a face (at least that's what I THINK it was! :) ). What if you don't draw exactly the same face as before, i.e. one of the eyes is smaller or the mouth is a little crooked. Does the program take that into consideration and/or allow for a sort of sensitivity adjustment?

[CafeCat]

If I lost my right hand, I will lost my data...... :(

[sponge]

If you lose a hand, you've probably got a few larger problems than not being able to get your data I think.

That's why the algorhytms are so complex: it's impossible for humans to replicate the same thing everytime. So yes, if it's a little off, it'll still let you in.

[hollis_f]

It's a great product :)

I used the beta version for a few months and never had a problem. Well except when I forgot how I signed the screen :DAnd the last resort if that happens is...?

[Kaber]

And the last resort if that happens is...?

Most likely, a little thing babelfish likes to translate into Spanish as "reposición a estado inicial del hardware ".

[Mark R Penn]

And the last resort if that happens is...?

.........exactly the same as if you forget any other password or PIN!!

If I lost my right hand, I will lost my data......

If you had an iPaq 5450, you could carry your hand around with you, and still use the biometric fingerprint reader :twisted: Just don't let the same thief steel your PPC and your hand.

[Kicks]

never forgot what it was that I signed, just how I signed it. So I set it to never do a hard reset to lose all date and reset the device after 3 failed attempts.

20 retries later and it let me back in. It just adds that one more layer of security that a lot of people look for