USB token
USB tokens are components for authentication. These components are similar to dongles; they are plugged into the USB interface and replace the password model used predominantly in single-factor authentication( SFA) with two-factor authentication( 2FA), thus combining user-based security with classic security.
The development of USB tokens is helped by the fact that client computers are equipped with multiple USB interfaces and that the USB token solution is a low-cost alternative to other tokens that use their own readers.
USB tokens have a display and a button. Once the user presses the button, the USB token generates a unique number combination that it calculates using the locally stored personal key and the current time. The number combination is valid for a definable period of time. During this time, the user must authenticate himself with the number combination via a login procedure triggered by the client.
USB tokens have their own central processing unit( CPU) for common encryption methods such as 3DES, the DES algorithm and the Advanced Encryption Standard( AES).