Windows 8.1 to let you secure folders with fingerprint

That would be a nice feature. My new laptop has a fingerprint reader and I use it to log into Windows. It would be nice to be able to lock down specific files or folders with it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Aye....that is a cool feature.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X 4 965 BE
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4
    Memory
    G-Skill 8 GB PC 8500
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD XFX HD Radeon 6790D
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2l Samsung SyncMaster S20B300
    Screen Resolution
    1600 X 900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Barracuda 320 GB w/OS
    Seagate Barracuda 1 TB data storage
    PSU
    Ultra X4 750 watt fully modular
    Case
    Thermaltake OverSeer RX 1 fulltower
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper212 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510
    Mouse
    Razor DeathAdder 3.5
No not for me. I am sure I saw this one time in a movie, in a scene involving a set of bolt cutters.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3930K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X79s
    Memory
    16.0GB Corsair Dominator DDR3-1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX 680
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster ZxR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2711 and 2407WFP
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 and 1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    3 x SSD
    Mix of 2, 3 and 4 TB Hard Drives
    PSU
    Corsair HX1050
    Case
    Lian Li Diamond Series PC-Z70 Full Tower, Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Revolution
    Internet Speed
    20mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avast Free and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Pro
    Other Info
    Win 8.1.1 and Office 2013 via Virtualbox
Yes. "It's a nice feature"... to see... but let's hope hackers won't need to learn how to cut fingers to keep their jobs. :D LOL

I won't be using it for the moment.

No not for me. I am sure I saw this one time in a movie, in a scene involving a set of bolt cutters.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
This reminds me of a cold-boot attack method that can be used to gain access to the contents of an encrypted drive/partition/volume (I use full disk encryption so that's why I mention this). All encryption programs store your passkey in RAM, and RAM is believed to be volatile, it's supposed to be completely flushed within a few minutes of powering off. But if an attacker can gain access to your RAM sticks within a very short time of your PC being powered off, they can freeze it for awhile with a can of compressed air and then extract your key from memory with forensics tools. This helps preserve the contents long enough for them to get at your passkey. I suppose any fingerprint authentication program works in a similar way, so if your digitized fingerprint can be extracted from RAM then theoretically they could use that to authenticate as you, without needing your actual finger or a biometric device. As things stand now there's not really anything that can be done to prevent this, except for engineers to rethink how RAM is designed to work.

Just thought I'd put something out there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64, Windows Server 2012 R2 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G700
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3632QM, 2.20 GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    6 GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA 720M, Intel HD 4000
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 (max)
    Hard Drives
    1 TB HDD (5400 RPM), 1.5 TB HDD (5400 RPM) installed in a 12.7mm disc drive caddy
    Case
    Lenovo
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Laptop/notebook keyboard/touchpad
    Internet Speed
    It varies, since I'm mobile most of the time
    Browser
    Chromium (the open-source browser which Google Chrome is derived from)
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, Spybot, Privatefirewall
    Other Info
    I will add more information here later
but let's hope hackers won't need to learn how to cut fingers to keep their jobs.

I wonder where the name hackers came from?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3930K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte X79s
    Memory
    16.0GB Corsair Dominator DDR3-1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX 680
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster ZxR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2711 and 2407WFP
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 and 1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    3 x SSD
    Mix of 2, 3 and 4 TB Hard Drives
    PSU
    Corsair HX1050
    Case
    Lian Li Diamond Series PC-Z70 Full Tower, Black
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Revolution
    Internet Speed
    20mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avast Free and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Pro
    Other Info
    Win 8.1.1 and Office 2013 via Virtualbox
This reminds me of a cold-boot attack method that can be used to gain access to the contents of an encrypted drive/partition/volume (I use full disk encryption so that's why I mention this). All encryption programs store your passkey in RAM, and RAM is believed to be volatile, it's supposed to be completely flushed within a few minutes of powering off. But if an attacker can gain access to your RAM sticks within a very short time of your PC being powered off, they can freeze it for awhile with a can of compressed air and then extract your key from memory with forensics tools. This helps preserve the contents long enough for them to get at your passkey. I suppose any fingerprint authentication program works in a similar way, so if your digitized fingerprint can be extracted from RAM then theoretically they could use that to authenticate as you, without needing your actual finger or a biometric device.

Just thought I'd put something out there.

Thanks for the info. :)
All the things they come up with... you always get impressed by something.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
First, we need a PC with bio-metric hardware/devices to be able to use the function, no rush.

There are some laptops having this feature so that will be usable in no time for those who need it.

Since I don't have a Surface: I wonder if this hardware will be included by default on the latest Surfaces.
Microsoft is "working very closely" with two or three manufacturers to outfit Windows 8.1 with the necessary fingerprint support, according to The Verge. The company is also asking more manufacturers to outfit their laptops, tablets, keyboards, and mice with fingerprint readers.
Then I should be guessing with a yes.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
What would be really interesting to see is retinal (not whole face) auth using a/the webcam. Or an external retinal scanner that connects via USB or Bluetooth (if that even exists yet, and at a decent price). But that would probably still be vulnerable to the same cold boot attacks against encryption.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64, Windows Server 2012 R2 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G700
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3632QM, 2.20 GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    6 GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA 720M, Intel HD 4000
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 (max)
    Hard Drives
    1 TB HDD (5400 RPM), 1.5 TB HDD (5400 RPM) installed in a 12.7mm disc drive caddy
    Case
    Lenovo
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Laptop/notebook keyboard/touchpad
    Internet Speed
    It varies, since I'm mobile most of the time
    Browser
    Chromium (the open-source browser which Google Chrome is derived from)
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, Spybot, Privatefirewall
    Other Info
    I will add more information here later
But that would probably still be vulnerable to the same cold boot attacks against encryption.

But is there at least, something, invulnerable to those attacks?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
@ Hopachi: I really have no idea, awhile back I became interested in encryption and decided to start using it as an added layer of security and for protection of privacy. Encryption algorithms like AES are the standard right now and it really isnt viable to crack at this point in time as far as technology is concerned. You would have to brute-force the key and that would take many years or decades or even longer depending on the strength of the key (if your password is 'cat' it will take much less time to crack than 'fsh%gf;us&idubvisr8*wp93(rwefuvbsdkjcvs;.dh)xvcysda'. It's not that it cant be done, just that the time it takes is way too long to be reasonable.

It's even believed thatv the NSA cant crack AES. Awhile back a drug lord from South America had his PC confiscated by the FBI and he had TrueCrypt full disk encryption on it. They failed to crack it. If there is something invulnerable to those attacks, I'm not aware of it. Engineers basically need to redesign RAM so that the contents are completely flushed either immediately before shutdown, or immediately after (faster than it deteriorates now). And you can just use common sense practices by keeping your PC secure and (for laptops) in your sight at all times or just in a protected place. You can also find a way to manually flush RAM yourself. Many encryption programs have a function that will clear the key on demand. But they still have to keep it in memory at some point in time to encrypt/decrypt in real-time.

Other methos like fingerprints and retinal probably operate similar to encryption, since their main purpose is to deny access to data if you're not authorized. They would have to obfuscate the auth info in some way or another, and it probably has to be stored somewhere, if only for a minute amount of time. I dont know how they operate, it's just an educated guess.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64, Windows Server 2012 R2 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G700
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3632QM, 2.20 GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    6 GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA 720M, Intel HD 4000
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 (max)
    Hard Drives
    1 TB HDD (5400 RPM), 1.5 TB HDD (5400 RPM) installed in a 12.7mm disc drive caddy
    Case
    Lenovo
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Laptop/notebook keyboard/touchpad
    Internet Speed
    It varies, since I'm mobile most of the time
    Browser
    Chromium (the open-source browser which Google Chrome is derived from)
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, Spybot, Privatefirewall
    Other Info
    I will add more information here later
@Enigma

Thanks for the input. We are pretty safe with AES right now, I agree.

Cheers!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Would this be encryption based or would it simply restrict access on the desktop environment?

Either way it is pretty cool. I don't think I would use it in place of something like TrueCrypt but it would be useful for my 40GB 2012 "tax" folder.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
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