Passwords

[Ralph Shumaker]

boblq wrote:

>On Thursday 16 March 2006 09:45 am, Tracy R Reed wrote:
>  
>
>>Somebody wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>USB sticks - spread, can attach almost to any half way modern computer.
>>>Smart card reader - about as common as BeOS.
>>>I agree on your security thoughts, but what good is a key that doesn't
>>>fit any lock.
>>>      
>>>
>>I think maybe what we need is a smart card that presents itself to the
>>host machine as a USB stick. It has a file that you write a challenge
>>into which gets processed by a cpu which has access to your private key
>>and a file which the host computer can then read the response out of.
>>
>>--
>>Tracy R Reed
>>    
>>
>
>I have to believe that someone will make a "smart" USB stick soon. 
>There are just too many applications possible with such a beast 
>for it not to appear. 
>  
>

If you elaborate upon this and mention your best ideas regarding the 
"too many applications possible with such a beast", it would, no doubt, 
invoke discussion.  And a cascade effect may be to move some hardware 
designer to act upon it.  So, Bob, what are the best applications you 
can think of?