# nmikhailov/Validity90

Reverse engineering of Validity/Synaptics 138a:0090, 138a:0094, 138a:0097, 06cb:0081, 06cb:009a fingerprint readers protocol

Repository: https://github.com/nmikhailov/Validity90
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/validity90
Language: C
License: LGPL-2.1
License Family: copyleft
Topics: reverse-engineering, fingerprint-authentication, fingerprint-sensor, fingerprint-scanner, libfprint, linux
Last push: 2020-01-16T20:17:32+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3509, "days_push": 2421, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1875, forks 114 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:47.442796+00:00)

## What it is
A reverse-engineering project for Validity/Synaptics fingerprint readers (USB IDs 138a:0090, 138a:0094, 138a:0097, 06cb:0081, 06cb:009a), producing a protocol specification and a free libfprint driver. It includes a Wireshark dissector and a standalone prototype for testing scan and database-check operations.

## Use cases
- get Validity fingerprint reader working on Linux
- reverse engineer fingerprint sensor protocol
- libfprint driver for 138a:0090
- decrypt fingerprint reader USB communication in Wireshark
- use fingerprint scanner on ThinkPad with Linux
- understand Validity 138a:0097 protocol

## When to choose
- you own a supported Validity/Synaptics reader and want Linux fingerprint support
- you want to study or contribute to the protocol specification
- you need a Wireshark dissector for the reader's TLS-encrypted traffic

## When to avoid
- you need a production-ready driver - the integrated libfprint driver is not finished
- your device is 138a:0091, which uses a different protocol (see Validity91)
- you need Windows fingerprint support

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: experimental
- function: reverse-engineering, auth
- domain: security, hardware, operating-systems, reverse-engineering
- platform: python, cpp
- tags: fingerprint-reader, libfprint, protocol-specification, wireshark-dissector, biometrics, driver, linux

## Member repositories
- nmikhailov/Validity90 (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:47.442796+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:14:46.364969+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nmikhailov/Validity90 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:47.442796+00:00, sha 4d2ff80ab756)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.