AI Term of the Moment
AI IoT
Redirected from: dangling dongle
Definition: hardware key
(1) For a secure login, see FIDO.
(2) Also called a "dongle," a hardware key is a copy protection device for software that plugs into the computer's USB port. Upon startup, the application looks for the key and will run only if the key contains the appropriate code. Typically used for expensive or sensitive government software, hardware keys offer effective copy protection because they cannot be easily duplicated. However, they are not widely used today.
The Dongle Dangled
In the 1980s, hardware keys plugged into a serial or parallel port. Because there was only one of each port on the computer, the key acted as a pass-through so that other keys and peripheral devices could connect. In fact, the nickname "dongle" was derived from multiple hardware keys "dangling" off the port. See DMCA and dongle.
An Earlier Parallel Key
(2) Also called a "dongle," a hardware key is a copy protection device for software that plugs into the computer's USB port. Upon startup, the application looks for the key and will run only if the key contains the appropriate code. Typically used for expensive or sensitive government software, hardware keys offer effective copy protection because they cannot be easily duplicated. However, they are not widely used today.
The Dongle Dangled
In the 1980s, hardware keys plugged into a serial or parallel port. Because there was only one of each port on the computer, the key acted as a pass-through so that other keys and peripheral devices could connect. In fact, the nickname "dongle" was derived from multiple hardware keys "dangling" off the port. See DMCA and dongle.
Prior to USB, earlier parallel port keys provided a pass-through so that additional keys or devices could be plugged in. The photo (top) shows the electronics inside. (Top image courtesy of SafeNet, Inc.)