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Graphical identification and authentication

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A GINA is a graphical identification and authentication library, which provides secure login services on Microsoft Windows operating systems. Only those systems based on the Windows NT kernel have such libraries; the Windows 95 family and earlier did not have mandatory logon.

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.

The default GINA 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 (like smart card readers or identification based on biometrics, for example).

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