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An eToken is a device that plugs into a USB port on your computer. It is
designed to hold a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) security certificate,
which is an electronic certificate that uniquely identifies individuals to
computers. The eToken is about the size of a house key and can be kept on
your key ring.
Your eToken holds a certificate that has your name on it, Dartmouth's name
on it, and is validated by Dartmouth in a way that ensures it cannot be
forged. The eToken also holds your private key which is used for
encryption. It can only be read after supplying a password. At that
point, you can be authenticated to different applications.
Using an eToken provides enhanced security for accessing confidential
information and for moving your private certificate between computers. It
provides two-factor (password and physical possession of a token)
authentication to the confidential data; someone would need both your eToken
and the password to your eToken in order to access your confidential
data. Your electronic key remains safely stored on the eToken, while
allowing you to use it on a variety of computers.
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