Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!zephyr.ens.tek.com!gvgpsa!gold!grege
From: grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Greg Ebert)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Request for info on PC security keys
Message-ID: <1141@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>
Date: 3 Jul 90 18:49:39 GMT
References: <26642@netnews.upenn.edu> <3811@galena2.UUCP>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA
Lines: 20

>
>tony@scotty.dccs.upenn.edu (Anthony Olejnik) writes:
>
>>I'm interested in finding out about PC security keys.
>>Apparently, they're HW/SW products which provide security for PC users.
>
I've seen a gizmo which plugs onto the parallel port. It must use some sort
of a psuedo-random number generator. I never had the time to hook up a logic
analyzer to the beast and try to 'unlock' it, but I'm sure it can be done.
You could also try writing some programs to poke at it; the parallel port
is 100% trivial to play with.

Basically, you get it with expensive (read: overpriced) SW. You can copy it
to your heart's content, but can only run it on one machine at a time. You
can still use a parallel device with thing attached. If the manufacturer has
half a brain, they poll the thing frequently to make sure you don't remove
the plug after SW load and thus run the SW on another machine. Oh, I should
have mentioned this: the 'buttplug' is encased in epoxy so the more resourceful
hackers can't simply copy it. Even if you get inside, it's probably got a PAL
or two with erased numbers and a blown security fuse.