Chapter 10: System Security

This chapter explains some of the ways OpenVMS attempts to ensure system security. It is important to note that implementing perfect security is impractical, if not impossible. A system with minimal security is the easiest to use, but also the easiest to misuse. On the other hand, a system with very strict security is difficult to misuse, but also makes it difficult for authorized users to perform their work. Furthermore, authorized users who either accidentally or intentionally misuse the system cause the majority of security problems.

This chapter will introduce some of the features of OpenVMS that try to provide a secure, yet usable environment.

What Is System Security?

When asked that question, many people envision teenage "crackers" spending late nights attempting to break into systems halfway across the world. This is certainly part of the story, but by no means all of it.

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Hackers Versus Crackers

The word hacker is currently being fought over (although the war may already be lost.) It has historically meant a particularly skilled user and hardly ever meant someone with harmful intentions. A useful program, often of the quick-and-dirty type, was referred to as "a nice hack." During the past two decades, it has come to mean, in the minds of many, only those individuals seeking to penetrate system security. To those familiar with the history of the terms, cracker is a more appropriate term for these individuals.

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In the past, the present, and likely well into the future, system security has faced more danger from authorized users of a system than from strangers, Internet access notwithstanding. Authorized users have already cleared many hurdles a cracker faces: obtaining the name and/or network address of a system, a username, a password, knowledge about its operating system, and, perhaps, what kinds of data it contains.

A well-designed computer system must take many things into account. It is impossible to provide total security, and systems attempting to do so typically make it difficult for legitimate users to do their jobs. Even so, unscrupulous users may intentionally compromise data to which they are allowed legitimate access.

An authorized user might intentionally violate system security, for instance, by selling medical records or drivers-license information stored on a computer at that user's place of employment. On the other hand, an honest user might accidentally issue a command that could erase important data.

To its credit, OpenVMS has a more solid security system than most commercial operating systems, comparing quite favorably with the systems against which it competes.

That being said, good system security still depends greatly on an informed user community. The remainder of this chapter explains some of the OpenVMS security features. This knowledge may help you notice suspicious activities and allow you to contribute to a secure system environment.



Getting Started with OpenVMS(c) A Guide for New Users
Getting Started with OpenVMS: A Guide for New Users (HP Technologies)
ISBN: 1555582796
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 215

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