Unless it's from the Paleolithic age your computer has USB ports – one, two, four, maybe more. They're handy for plugging in your iPod, draining the photos out of your digital camera, and transferring files via USB thumb drive. But that's not all; you can get a USB fondue pot or a DDR-style USB finger dance mat among other weird and weirder items. Apparently some people can't bear to see a USB port sitting idle with nothing plugged in.

Rather than seeking more and weirder USB gadgets, why not enlist those ports to do something useful—like help protect your PC's security? Sure, most of the time PC security involves software—suites, spyware scanners, spam filters, and so on. Sometimes, however, security comes in a completely different package. Here are four wildly different examples of PC security products that plug into that versatile USB port. As always click the link accompanying the capsule below to read the full, scored review.

M2SYS Desktop Biometric Suite
Once you plug this suite's M2-S1 Swipe Reader into a USB port and install its software, your fingerprint can replace your Windows password, control access to applications, and lock your private documents. As the gadget's name suggests, you swipe your finger along the unit's multiple sensors rather than simply resting it in one place. It reads fingerprints below the skin surface where fingerprints remain consistent despite dirt, skin damage, or other problems. You can use the device to lock applications or documents so they won't launch without an authorized fingerprint; however, I had no trouble breaking through this particular protection. Despite the less-stellar file protection, the product is still worth buying for its fingerprint-based logon security.

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ID Vault
To secure your online financial transactions, ID Vault requires two-factor authentication – the ID Vault device itself (something you have) plus the PIN for the device (something you know). This smart-card based USB device knows how to navigate the complex login schemes for over seven thousand financial sites and can remember up to 40 logins for you. When creating a new "financial favorite" you enter passwords by clicking an on-screen keyboard (to foil keyloggers). Launching an existing financial favorite brings up a stripped-down super-secure browser. ID Vault matches passwords to sites and sites to pre-recorded IP addresses to prevent phishing and pharming. It can also remember non-financial Web site credential, but this isn't its strong point. After all, protecting your brokerage account is a lot more important than protecting your Webmail.

SnoopStick
Just what computer-based mischief are the kids getting into when you're at the office? SnoopStick will let you monitor them in real time or view logs of past events. Just stick this USB key in the children's computer and run a quick install program. Watch out –security software may block installation or even delete parts of the SnoopStick software. Once it's installed you can monitor the system from any other computer by plugging in the SnoopStick and selecting a monitored computer. It watches Web sites visited, logs IM conversations, records their e-mail correspondents, and even snaps screenshots. In addition it can control a schedule of when the kids can use the Internet, block specific sites, and even shut down their system remotely. If you're OK with snooping on your kids, SnoopStick will do the job.

Yoggie Pico Personal
If you work at a large company, your Internet connection is probably firewalled and filtered for spam and viruses by server-based security software before anything reaches your desktop. Now the Yoggie Pico Personal brings this kind of protection to your own desktop or laptop. It's a complete Linux-based computer with a Pentium 3 equivalent processor, but it's the size and shape of a USB thumb drive. Thirteen security applications from well-regarded vendors run on the device (so they don't slow your computer) and filter out problems at the network level. For added security, the driver blocks all network activity if the device isn't plugged in; an emergency password lets you disable protection in case you lose or break it. And you can change settings or view reports by logging into a management console. The added security supplied by Yoggie Pico Personal is definitely effective (and expensive, at $180). You can rely on its spam server and firewall, but you'll want to retain local security software for full protection against viruses and spyware.