Chapter 9 Using Your Smart Card (Tasks)

This chapter describes how to use a smart card to securely log in to the Solaris 8 operating environment.

This is a list of topics in this chapter.

• "Smart Card Contents"

• "How to Log in to the Solaris Desktop With Your Smart Card"

• "How to Access a Protected Application With Your Smart Card"

• "How to Change the PIN on Your Smart Card (Command Line)"

Smart cards protect your Solaris desktop or individual applications more securely than the familiar UNIX login with a password. You use the smart card to authenticate yourself to the desktop or application, that is, to prove that you are who you claim to be.

Smart Card Contents

Solaris Smart Cards supports three types of smart cards: the Cyberflex, iButton, and Payflex cards. Your system administrator will configure a smart card reader on your computer, and then provide you with the smart card used in your organization.

Depending on how your smart card was setup, it might contain the following:

• Your login name

• Your password

• A personal identification number (PIN) for the smart card

• Names of the application programs that require you to log in with the PIN on your smart card

• A private key to use for signing files

Using Your Smart Card to Log in to the Desktop

When you receive your smart card from the system administrator, you can use it immediately. If your system administrator configured your card with a default PIN, you should change it to a value only you know as soon as you have logged in.

How to Log in to the Solaris Desktop With Your Smart Card

1. Insert your smart card into the card reader.

   The Solaris desktop environment prompts you for your PIN.

2. Type the PIN provided by the system administrator, either your preferred PIN or a default PIN.

   After you type the correct PIN, one of the following happens:

   • If the smart card contains your password, you automatically are logged in to the desktop.

   • If your smart card does not contain your login name and password, the desktop prompts you for them, as in a standard UNIX login. After you type the correct login name and password, you are logged in to the desktop.

How to Access a Protected Application With Your Smart Card

1. Insert your smart card into the card reader.

2. Run the protected application.

   The application prompts you for your PIN.

3. Type the PIN provided by the security administrator, either your preferred PIN or a default PIN.

   After you type the correct PIN, one of the following occurs:

   • If the smart card contains your password, you automatically access the application.

   • If your smart card does not contain your login name and password, the application prompts you for them, as in a standard UNIX login. After you type the correct login name and password, you can access the application.

How to Change the PIN on Your Smart Card (Command Line)

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Caution -

Be sure to type the new PIN correctly because you will not be prompted to confirm it.

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1. Insert your smart card in the card reader.

2. Change your PIN.

   % smartcard -c init -A A000000062030400 -P `old_PIN' pin=new_PIN

   old_PIN	Is your current PIN.
   new_PIN	Is your new PIN.

   Enclose the default PIN, $$$$java, or any PIN containing shell special-characters (such as $) within single quotes. Otherwise, the shell tries to interpret the PIN as a variable, and the command fails.