User Guide
Siemens ID Mouse V3.1
June 2000 Edition
Administration
Page 19
3 Administration
3.1 Providing Additional Security for the Computer via BIOS Settings
Apart from the steps performed to secure the computer after the installation, the administrator
should also make use of the security settings available in the BIOS of modern PCs. Almost all
modern PCs include options to prevent the computer from being started with a floppy disk or
to change the startup sequence so that the computer boots first from the hard disk.
For more details on how to enable these features in the BIOS, please refer to the manual of
your PC or motherboard.
These measures will effectively ensure that the identification with the Siemens ID Mouse
cannot be bypassed.
Note that a BIOS password that is only known to the administrator must also be assigned
when using this function; otherwise, experienced users could change the startup sequence in
the BIOS and thus break into the PC with a Startup diskette.
Attention
The administrator should make sure that he or she never forgets the password, since BIOS
passwords can often only be removed by the hardware manufacturer.
3.2 Securing the Computer via the User Manager
The User Manager of the Siemens ID Mouse offers additional options to prevent unauthorized
access to the computer. These include:
-
Enabling logons only via fingerprints
The administrator can set the system to allow only a fingerprint identification when starting
up the computer or terminating the screen saver. This disables the tab on
which the user ID and password can be specified.
-
Automatic shutdown of the PC when a logon error occurs
If the application returns an error on performing the identification, the computer is
automatically shut down.
-
Setting the security level to “High”
The security level for the identification can be set to “High”.
-
Minimum password length
If it is not possible to do without the option of logging on with a user ID and password, the
minimum length for passwords should be set to at least 8 characters.
3.3 Changing the Hardware Configuration
If the User Manager has been set to allow only a fingerprint logon to the PC, the following
must be observed:
Before you install any new hardware in your PC, it is advisable to temporarily change the
logon method in the User Manager to allow both the fingerprint option as well as a user ID and
password. After you have successfully installed the hardware, you can then reset the system
to allow only the fingerprint logon.