https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=showheadline&story=20005
The Linux Mint team is testing a new application for providing fingerprint authentication.
"Linux Mint 22.2 will feature a brand new app called Fingwit. Fingwit is a fingerprint configuration tool. It detects if your computer has a fingerprint reader and lets you record your fingerprints. It then configures your system to use fingerprint authentication for: The login screen, the screensaver; sudo commands, admin apps (pkexec)."
Fingwit will work across desktop environments and should function on any systems that have a fingerprint reader and PAM authentication support.
The Linux Mint May newsletter also reminds people that Linux Mint 20.x is reaching the end of its five years of support. People running version 20.x are advised to either perform a fresh install of Linux Mint 22 or upgrade in place to version 21. Tips for upgrading are provided in the newsletter.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by DadaDoofy on Tuesday June 10, @11:28PM (2 children)
Odd there's no mention of where your biometric data is stored by Fingwit. I'm reasonably sure if it was in any way close to as secure as Apple's "Secure Enclave", they would not have hesitated to describe it.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Gaaark on Wednesday June 11, @03:22AM
Brave browsers AI says:
"Linux Fingwit Data Storage
Fingwit is a fingerprint authentication tool for Linux, and it is designed to work on any GNU/Linux distribution and desktop environment.
The data related to fingerprint authentication, such as enrolled fingerprints, is typically stored in the system's configuration files and managed by the fprintd daemon. However, specific locations for storing this data are not explicitly mentioned in the provided context."
And cites (but i haven't read them):
https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/fingwit [archlinux.org]
https://www.theurbanpenguin.com/43-where-data-is-stored/ [theurbanpenguin.com]
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/490589/where-is-the-network-data-is-stored-on-linux-system [stackexchange.com]
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 3, Touché) by bart9h on Wednesday June 11, @01:16PM
It is open source, you can just go and check. Probably it is stored locally, just like your conventional password is.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Mojibake Tengu on Wednesday June 11, @05:11AM
https://github.com/xapp-project/fingwit [github.com]
I noticed some of the chips supported https://fprint.freedesktop.org/supported-devices.html [freedesktop.org] are also found embedded in funny usb drives or external boxes.
That brings possibility to rip the reader from the drive and use it for tinkering.
Some people around here are building hw wallets for coins, contraptions marketable already.
Rust programming language offends both my Intelligence and my Spirit.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 11, @08:46AM
Last time I was fingerprinted, they had to use ink because my prints didn't register on the scanner.
Fortunately they accepted VISA for the bail.