A remote computer access facility uses two dedicated computers outside the
firewall. To ensure security the system makes use of biometrics features
and a one-time password mechanism on top of secure socket layer (SSL) to
authenticate a user. The system also provides three layers of security
levels for transmission. The first layer establishes an SSL connection,
the second layer periodically asks for a one-time password (OTP), and the
third layer uses any kind of conventional encryption. The combination of
the biometric, OTP and encryption key forms a strong password. The system
also uses a mechanism for secure file accesses within the organization
based on the security privileges assigned to various users. Based on the
user's access privileges, the server side software module sends the
requested file in an encrypted form along with the key to decrypt that
file--this key is encrypted by the user's strong password.