Dell Security Features - FIPS vs Non-FIPS & Windows Ultimate Encryption Capabilites

I am thinking about buying a Latitude E6520, and I am not clear about the benefit of a few of the options, mostly related to security issues.

The one I wonder about the most is the value of the "FIPS" fingerprint reader over the non-FIPS reader. I have been following a number of the threads that have chronicled the problems with the software with some of the Latitude fingerprint readers, but if I am reading correctly, it sounds like that has either been fixed, or is easily fixable now. So if that is right, I was hoping some of you might have some insight into who the FIPS reader is designed for and whether it is desirable to get it or not.

Likewise for the FIPS encrypted hard drive and the Windows Ultimate encryption capabilities.

All of this may not be critical for me to have right this minute, but I am becoming increasingly concerned with security issues, so I wanted to explore this issue in advance of making my decision.

Thanks.

 

There is no security benefit in using fingerprints over strong passwords.
You run into serious trouble if your finger gets wounded. This happened to a colleague some months ago. He has a Thinkpad with a fingerprint reader and only used this for identification. He even forgot his login password. One day he had a small accident with a knife in his kitchen, rendering his index finger unreadable for the fingerprint reader. Because he's a clever guy he also saved the profile of his middle finger but unfortunately all his right-hand fingertips were wounded. He couldn't use his laptop for more than one week until his fingers healed.
During that time we searched for other ways to access the laptop and obviously it would have been possible if we would have had a gummi bear with his intact fingerprint [1] and I guess somebody who deliberately want's to break into your computer will find a way to get your fingerprint (your glass, a pencil and a piece of sticky tape is all it takes).

[1] Fingerprint-Reader mit Gummibärchen getäuscht - WinFuture.de
(Sorry for the German article, this is what we stumbled upon back then. I'm too lazy right now to search for something similar in English.)

 

No one here has any thoughts or insight about this? How very disappointing.