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What use a smart card reader? (self.retrocomputing)

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/31922512

I recently picked up an older but perfectly adequate HP Z Book Firefly with a built-in smart card reader and I'm wondering what possible use is this little bit of tech? Can I, like, auth with my credit card or whatever? (mostly joking, I briefly looked at the PAM config for that and prefer my current hobbies lol)

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[-] jaredj@infosec.pub 1 points 1 month ago

openpgp smartcard https://www.floss-shop.de/de/security-privacy/smartcards/

smartcards + computers didn't really pick up in the US outside the Department of Defense, which issued them. now that FIDO tokens are here, everybody's got a USB socket but not many people have a smartcard reader.

it's mostly just a very flat serial port

[-] BonkTheAnnoyed 2 points 1 month ago

Neat! I may play around with this.

this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2025
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