Graphical identification and authentication: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:02, 24 April 2006

Revision as of 19:56, 24 April 2006

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The '''GINA''' (or MS-GINA gina dllDLL) is the '''graphical identification and authentication''' library of Microsoft, which provides secure authentication and [[login]] services on some [[Microsoft Windows]] operating systems. Only systems based on the [[Windowsoperating NTsystem]]s. [[kernel (computer science)|kernel]] have such libraries; the [[Windows 95]] family and earlier did not have a mandatory logon of this form.

==Overview==

Winlogon is the component responsible for handling the default [[secure attention key]], loading the user profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a [[screensaver]] is running (requiring another authentication step). The actual obtaining and verification of user credentials is left to the GINA.

TheA default GINA library is provided by Microsoft as part of the operating system, and offers authentication against Windows ___domain servers with a supplied user name/password combination. Winlogon can be configured to use a different GINA, providing for non-standard authentication methods, (likesuch as [[smart card]] readers or identification based on [[biometrics]], for example).

==Version support==

GINA is used with [[Windows NT 4]], [[Windows 2000]], [[Windows XP]] and [[Windows Server 2003]]. In [[Windows Vista]] and later operating systems, GINA has been entirely replaced by '''Credential Providers''', which allows for significantly more flexibility in supporting multiple credential collection methods.

The [[Windows 95]] family and earlier did not have a mandatory logon of this form.

==Exported Functions==