Toss the Token and Let the PC Authenticate You

There are various ways to achieve secure network authentication with perhaps the best known being two-factor authentication – something you have (a physical card) and something you know (a PIN). That works well with ATMs, but what happens when you sit down at your laptop or desktop? Smart cards and tokens have been the typical solutions and, given that the US government requires that smart cards be an option for secure authentication, many PCs have smart card readers built in. But what happens when you lose or forget your smart card or token?