# Use a Fingerprint to get access to a rootshell !?!

## TheX

I saw this fine fingerprint reader :

http://www2.alternate.de/html/shop/productDetails.html?showTechData=true&artno=NMZM70&#tecData

And thought about using it instead typing in a password to get access to my rootshell.

Does someone have experience in making this work ??

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## Drunkula

Biometrics on Linux is still rather new.  They may have something useful on http://linuxbiometrics.com/modules/news/.

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## TheX

Result of your Link:

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> BioAPI: a library of tools for accessing BioAPI-compliant biometric service providers in Java. Includes a BiometricLoginModule for use in the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS).
> 
> 

 

But there seems to be no "userfriendly" solution to use a fingerprint to log in ...

But thanks  :Wink: 

TheX

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## flickerfly

As the owner of LinuxBiometrics.com and a Gentoo User, this is not yet ready. We do need people interested in making it ready though. UPEK (the guys who made the fingerprint reader on the IBM Thinkpads) has announced support by the end of the year. There is a beta test program that is being arranged for that platform. If nothing else, stop by the forums and drop the output from lspci of your device so that devs can have the info if/when they need it.  :Smile: 

Meanwhile, add the RSS feed to your aggregator and keep on eye on it. We're getting there.

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## Phlogiston

any progress on this?

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## flickerfly

Yep, the UPEK device is now working an a variety of distros. This includes a number of thinkpads like the X41 and T41. Head over to http://BiometricsonLinux.com

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## Phlogiston

 *flickerfly wrote:*   

> Yep, the UPEK device is now working an a variety of distros. This includes a number of thinkpads like the X41 and T41. Head over to http://BiometricsonLinux.com

 

hey thats sounds cool. I just ordered a T43. Do you know a howto or something similar?

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## flickerfly

Start here: http://linuxbiometrics.com/modules/wiwimod/

This will get you started. The docs are currently scattered. If you run into problems, stop by #linuxbiometrics on freenode's IRC service, the forums or sign-up with the mailing list.

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## Phlogiston

did anyone have this working or tried it out?

I'll do right now   :Cool: 

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## flickerfly

 :Smile:  A bunch of people have it working. I haven't taken the time yet personally, but it is very doable. The needs for ThinkPad users are especially well documented if that is what you have.

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## Phlogiston

 *flickerfly wrote:*   

>  A bunch of people have it working. I haven't taken the time yet personally, but it is very doable. The needs for ThinkPad users are especially well documented if that is what you have.

 

Nice! I'm a thinkpad user  :Wink: 

But the Problem is that I don't have the tools: mod_install and install_module, which are needed by a script for installing the driver. I use this Howto:

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_enable_the_fingerprint_reader

Do you know why this tools are missing on my gentoo system?

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## flickerfly

In what section of the document do you see this? I can't find it. It may be that Gentoo has a different method, but I'm not sure what those commands do. You may prefer this documentation. I haven't heard anything about it yet, but the author seems to think it should be easier...

http://linux.spiney.org/debian_gnu_linux_on_an_ibm_thinkpad_t43p_fingerprint_reader

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## Phlogiston

 :Very Happy:   here it works   :Very Happy: 

 :Cool: 

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## flickerfly

great to hear. Congrats!

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## Master One

Pretty cool, having a T42p with fingerprint reader, I will take a look as well. Would be fabulous, to finally have it all working in Linux (now that hdaps has been added to the 2.6.14 kernel, it looks like all holes have been closed   :Smile:  ).

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## Master One

Yeah, this is really that cool as expected!   :Very Happy: 

Just installed all that stuff for pam-support of the fingerprint reader, works like a charm.

BTW The source for bioapi-1.2.3 is now available here, emerges just fine after adapting the existing bioapi-1.2.2.ebuild.

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## flocchini

 *Master One wrote:*   

> 
> 
> BTW The source for bioapi-1.2.3 is now available here, emerges just fine after adapting the existing bioapi-1.2.2.ebuild.

 

how!?!?!? .deb is binary... And I get an error 

Installing TouchChip TFM/ESS Fingerprint BSP ...

/usr/lib/libtfmessbsp.so: ELF file OS ABI invalidCould not load addin module "/usr/lib/libtfmessbsp.so"!

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## ramielshafie

Hi!

Same problem here.. 

```
Uninstalling TouchChip TFM/ESS Fingerprint BSP ...

/usr/lib64/libtfmessbsp.so: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS32Could not load addin module "/usr/lib64/libtfmessbsp.so"!

Installing TouchChip TFM/ESS Fingerprint BSP ...

/usr/lib64/libtfmessbsp.so: wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS32Could not load addin module "/usr/lib64/libtfmessbsp.so"!
```

anybody got any news on installing the binary driver on am64? Any help highly appreciated![/quote]

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## sternklang

This thread was from 2005. sys-auth/bioapi is masked for removal with this comment:  *Quote:*   

> Use sys-auth/thinkfinger instead

 

```
$ eix thinkfinger

* sys-auth/thinkfinger

     Available versions:  (~)0.2.2-r1 (~)0.3 {debug pam}

     Homepage:            http://thinkfinger.sourceforge.net/

     Description:         Support for the UPEK/SGS Thomson Microelectronics fingerprint reader, often seen in Thinkpads
```

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## ramielshafie

I tried to use the thinkfinger open source driver but when i try tf-tool --acquire after installation i get:

```
tf-tool --acquire

ThinkFinger 0.3 (http://thinkfinger.sourceforge.net/)

Copyright (C) 2006, 2007 Timo Hoenig <thoenig@suse.de>

Initializing...USB device not found.

```

lsusb lists the following:

```
lsusb

Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000  

Bus 007 Device 001: ID 0000:0000  

Bus 006 Device 001: ID 0000:0000  

Bus 005 Device 001: ID 0000:0000  

Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000  

Bus 004 Device 001: ID 0000:0000  

Bus 003 Device 002: ID 147e:2016  

Bus 003 Device 001: ID 0000:0000 
```

cat /proc/bus/usb/devices:

```
...

T:  Bus=03 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=01 Cnt=01 Dev#=  2 Spd=12  MxCh= 0

D:  Ver= 1.00 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 8 #Cfgs=  1

P:  Vendor=147e ProdID=2016 Rev= 0.01

S:  Manufacturer=TouchStrip        

S:  Product=Fingerprint Sensor   

C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=a0 MxPwr=100mA

I:* If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=(none)

E:  Ad=81(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS=  64 Ivl=0ms

E:  Ad=02(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS=  64 Ivl=0ms

E:  Ad=83(I) Atr=03(Int.) MxPS=   4 Ivl=10ms

...

```

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## sternklang

I don't have a Thinkpad or use this package. A quick look at the README from the SVN repository indicates: *Quote:*   

> It is likely that you have to run 'tf-tool' as root as it needs to access the USB device.  On most distribution the device node can not be accessed by a regular user.
> 
> The switch '--add-user' is only available if ThinkFinger was built with PAM support.

 

There is a section after that on configuring PAM if you have built it with PAM support (presumably with the pam USE flag). Have you either run this tool as root or setup PAM support to allow a normal user to run it?

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## ramielshafie

Already running it as root, sorry, forgot to mention that..

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## sternklang

Looking at the SourceForge mailing list archive for this project, it seems you are not the only one experiencing problems with that particular scanner model. Perhaps you should subscribe to that mailing list and let the developers know there is a problem with support for this device.

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## HammerFall

I can confirm this issue with a new Thinkpad R61 - some issues have already been posted on the thinkfinger-devel list, but no solution.  :Sad: 

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