Bios maker Phoenix has launched a security software utility that allows network administrators to authenticate hardware devices.
Phoenix Technologies, the company behind the Phoenix Bios firmware that is installed in about 80 percent of all PCs, launched a utility at the InfoSecurity show in London on Wednesday that can allow users' hardware to be used in conjunction with a traditional login system to ensure that only authorised users with a "trusted device" can gain access to the corporate network.
The Phoenix Bios, which comes installed in around 100 million PCs every year, is activated as soon as a computer is switched on and before the operating system kicks in. The Bios's job is to ensure that all the computer's hardware components -- such as the hard disk drive, memory and keyboard -- are installed and working correctly.
News source: ZDNet | UK
