 Essential to business applications, portable devices must be secured properly. Users frequently find, however, that the password model can be cumbersome because similar or identical passwords might be used repeatedly in multiple locations. If one of those uses becomes insecure, the password may be in jeopardy. Amazingly enough, SFR GmbH software company has created a revolutionary program that goes beyond simple text entry. There are definite advantages to both methods of security, but visKey looks promising.
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One of the best features of the program is that it allows the user to choose any image to use as the security blanket. Ideally, this will be a complex picture with numerous points of interest and activity. Users will then be able to select areas in which the screen must be tapped to unlock the device. Remember that the program also offers a setting called "Input precision" which determines how close to the original point of entry each subsequent login attempt must be in order to pass that step.
This shows the basic options page where configuration will begin. It is a good idea to choose a picture that will fit well on the screen. A gigantic 7 mega pixel image will compress down and may look unsatisfactory. The program supports all the standard image formats, including .jpg, .gif, and .bmp. I took a large image I took of a nature scene and then took the best portion of the picture at 480x640 and then cropped the rest of the image off. When setting up the password, I noticed the program limits the user to 9 selections on the image and then warns the user that the password is too long. This is plenty long, though, because it is basically better than a 9 character random password. Since my situation does not require absolute protection on my device, I have stuck with a basic 3-point password.
After entering the password once, you are required to verify the password and then save it. Be very careful to remember this password because it can be more difficult to remember it than it seems. Other options, as shown, include the ability to show the date, time, owner, or text password option on the login screen, etc. These items make it very useful because it is very easy to quickly turn on the device and get the date and time without being required to login.
Once everything is configured, this is what will be shown. Click quit to leave the program and the password is then configured and ready to use. After the device is turned off and the delay has expired, the password will be required to use the device. Upon clicking quit, the device will be soft reset to complete installation and the password screen will then be displayed.
Coming in at under half a megabyte, the total download is relatively small. The program is well designed and seems very robust. It would be nice if it had better support for automatically resizing images, but this is not a tedious task for the user to complete on their own. I appreciate the ability to logon quickly by tapping areas spread out over the entire screen, rather than on the small keyboard. Quick buttons on the login screen include an owner info button (if enabled), a sound button (to sound on tap), soft reset button, power off button, clear input button, and submit button. After entering the tap locations, click the last button and it will attempt to log you on with the input provided. If the wrong password is provided, it will require the user to try again.
This is a great program that will provide excellent results in the security requirements of business professionals. I especially like how the numbers appear where the screen is tapped for a short period of time and then disappear. This lowers the risk of someone seeing the taps and makes it more secure. The price of $14.95 seems very reasonable for a program that will help secure the device very well. As SFR software claims, there are over 1 billion password combinations using only 4 picture spots. This is quite impressive! More information |
