DigitalPersona Personal 4.0

Social networking, shopping, Web-based mail—tons of our everyday Internet activities are protected by passwords. Random character sequences make the best passwords, but nobody can remember more than a few of those, and writing them down on Post-its is a poor strategy. DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 remembers usernames and passwords for you, rates your overall password savvy, and protects all of this sensitive data using your own fingerprint. The version I reviewed, which comes with the U.are.U fingerprint scanner, costs $69.95 (direct). Those who already have a fingerprint reader, perhaps built into a laptop, can buy a software-only version for $29.95 (direct). And for an extra $14.95 you can add fingerprint-based file encryption.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Setup Protection

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Enroll a Finger

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : At Least Two

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Automatic Logout

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Fingerprint Logon

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Set a Tougher Password

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The U.are.U 4500 fingerprint reader included with the full package is a touch-style reader, meaning you simply touch its panel rather than swiping your finger across. It's attractive and easy to use. The reader's weight and a high-friction bottom pad help it sit solidly on your desk, so it doesn't skid around when you touch it.

As soon as the DigitalPersona software is installed, it prompts you to register your fingerprints. O

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Front

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Setup Protection

The first step in using DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 is to associate your fingerprints with your Windows user account.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Enroll a Finger

Just touch the fingerprint reader four times with the same finger to register that finger's print.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : At Least Two

DigitalPersona recommends enrolling at least two fingers. You can enroll all ten if you wish.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Automatic Logout

After you authenticate your identity using a fingerprint the product keeps you logged in for a fixed amount of time, three minutes by default.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Fingerprint Logon

DigitalPersonal integrates seamlessly with the Windows logon screen. When a user touches the fingerprint reader it automatically logs in the user account associated with that fingerprint.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Set a Tougher Password

You can still log into Windows using a password. Now that you have the ease of biometric login available, consider switching to a stronger Windows password.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Setup Account

When DigitalPersona recognizes that you're visiting a login page, it overlays a fingerprint icon near the top left of the browser. Clicking the icon lets you record the username and password for this site.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Application Passwords

The program also recognizes password dialogs used by many programs and will offer to save the account information for you.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Change Account Prompt

If you don't want to log into a particular web account using your fingerprint you can tell DigitalPersona to stop offering.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Manual Account Creation

When DigitalPersona doesn't recognize an unusual or multi-page login screen you can manually identify the important fields and record the necessary information.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Multiple Accounts

If multiple login accounts are available for a given page the program will display them and let you choose.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Automatic Login

When you double-click one of the stored accounts DigitalPersona will automatically navigate to the web site and log you in.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Manage Accounts

It's easy to edit the details for an account, delete the record entirely, or create an additional account for the same web site.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Security Check

The security check module rates the strength of all the passwords you've stored with DigitalPersona and also gives you an overall security rating.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Vista Sidebar

The program automatically adds a gadget to the Vista sidebar that shows which user's account is active and displays the overall security check status.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Password Rating

Double-click an account in the security check list to see exactly why it got the security rating it did.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Password Settings

You can tweak the program's defaults to change the way it rates passwords. For example, you could require a longer password or a greater variety of character types.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Encrypt Files

The extra-cost file protection module lets you encrypt any file simply by choosing from the right-click menu and supplying your fingerprint.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : File Protection Passphrase

As a safety measure DigitalPersona records an emergency passphrase that you can use to decrypt files if for any reason the biometric decryption isn't available.

DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 : Unprotected Files

The program keeps track of any files that you've decrypted without re-encrypting when done. It will even remind you every so often if files are left unprotected.

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

Principal Writer, Security

My Experience

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.

Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.

In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.

The Technology I Use

Much of the testing I do, particularly testing with real-world ransomware, is just plain dangerous. To perform such tests safely, I sequester them inside virtual machines managed by VMWare Workstation. For cross-platform testing, I use a MacBook Air, a Google Pixel 4, and a 6th-generation iPad.

I rely on my Delphi coding skills to create and maintain small applications. These include programs to check whether an antivirus correctly handled the malware it detected, launch dangerous URLs and record the security program’s reaction, and analyze the malware that I collect for use in testing. I also wrote a tiny browser and text editor for use in testing security apps that have predefined reactions for known products.

I do my writing and research on a Dell OptiPlex desktop, relying on Microsoft Word (my fingers know all the shortcuts). Many of my articles include charts and analysis; Excel is my go-to for those. When work hours end, though, I escape the bounds of Microsoft and Windows. There’s an iPhone in my pocket, I relax with my oversized iPad, and my Kindle Oasis is always loaded with the best science fiction and fantasy.

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