How to set up fingerprint authentication on openSuse Tumbleweed and KDE Plasma
Tags: opensuse, shell, technical, tumbleweed
Published: 2023-01-25 19:22:52

---
title: How to set up fingerprint authentication on openSuse Tumbleweed and KDE Plasma
published: true
date: 2023-01-19 08:00:00 UTC
tags: openSuse,shell,technical,tumbleweed
canonical_url: https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/
---

- [Context](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/#context)
- [Check if your fingerprint reader device is supported](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/#check-if-your-fingerprint-reader-device-is-supported)
- [Install requirements](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/#install-requirements)
- [Register your fingerprints In KDE](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/#register-your-fingerprints-in-kde)
- [Configure your system (window-manager and KDE lock Screen) to use and allow fingerprint for authentication](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/#configure-your-system-window-manager-and-kde-lock-screen-to-use-and-allow-fingerprint-for-authentication)
  - [Window Manager](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/#window-manager)
  - [KDE Lock screen](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/#kde-lock-screen)
- [References](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/#references)

## Context

I have an old Toshiba Notebook which has a Fingerprint device and I wanted to use it to authenticate myself in KDE on openSuse. Similar steps should work on GNOME and other Distros. At the end of the article you can find a reference for KDE running on debian-based distros.

## Check if your fingerprint reader device is supported

Run `lsusb` and check for any device with fingerprint.

```
(ds) daco@toshiba:~> lsusb
Bus 004 Device 003: ID 8086:0189 Intel Corp. Centrino Advanced-N 6230 Bluetooth adapter
Bus 004 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 020: ID 0930:1314 Toshiba Corp. F5521gw
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0bda:58f5 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. 2SF001
Bus 001 Device 018: ID 08ff:168b AuthenTec, Inc. Fingerprint Sensor
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

```

If you find any, copy the ID (in my case is `08ff:168b`) and check if it is supported in [https://fprint.freedesktop.org/supported-devices.html](https://diegocarrasco.com/how-to-set-up-fingerprint-authentication-on-opensuse-tumbleweed-and-kde-plasma/)

if you find it, then follow the next steps 😃

## Install requirements

`fprintd` and `fprintd-pam`

Use YaST Software or the following command

```
sudo zypper install fprintd fprintd-pam

```

## Register your fingerprints In KDE

![](https://diegocarrasco.com/images/fingerprint-kde.png)

## Configure your system (window-manager and KDE lock Screen) to use and allow fingerprint for authentication

### Window Manager

```
kdesu kate /etc/pam.d/sddm

```

add the following after `#%PAM-1.0`

```
auth [success=1 new_authtok_reqd=1 default=ignore] pam_unix.so try_first_pass likeauth nullok
auth sufficient pam_fprintd.so

```

### KDE Lock screen

```
# this will edit or create a file
kdesu kate /etc/pam.d/kde

```

and add the following

```
auth sufficient pam_unix.so try_first_pass likeauth nullok
auth sufficient pam_fprintd.so

```

and restart sddm

```
sudo service sddm restart

```

now you should be able to use your fingerprint to login. Check it out by locking KDE (or press `win` + `l`). There should be a message to use fingerprint or password to unlock/ login.

follow: https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Using\_fingerprint\_authentication

## References

- [openSuse Wiki](https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Using_fingerprint_authentication)
- [Configure fingerprints on KDE running on debian-based distros](https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=309&t=175570)