Re: OMNI CARD

[Carl Ellison <cme@sw.stratus.com>]

This sounds almost identical to the Racal-Guardata Watchword.  It's old
technology (although making the unit small might be new).  I have a
Watchword on my desk as I write this.

It's a calculator with authentication built in.

There's my own DES key inside.  To get to it, I enter 1 of 2 PINs.  (the
second is a "duress PIN" -- works but sounds a warning in the security
office, saying that I have a gun to my head, if I use it for a
challenge/resp).

The system authenticating me gives me a 7-digit challenge number.  I enter
it and my Watchword gives me a 7-digit response number back.  I then give
that number to the system -- typed as a password or over the phone to a
person.


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The SecureID (which I carry in my wallet, against directions from the vendor)
has my encryption key buried inside along with a calendar clock.

Every minute, it encrypts the date and time with my key and displays 6 digits
of the result.  It has a keypad for entering a PIN which is then added (without
carry) to the 6-digit result and that is displayed instead, if I've entered
the PIN, for the next 5 minutes.

This saves half the protocol (by sync of calendar clocks).

 - Carl