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Access Control and
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Access Control and
The most common form of authentication used for multi-user computer
systems is passwords. Passwords have so many problems associated
with them that they can no longer be recommended as a reliable method
of authentication for users. The biggest problems are:
- passwords are hard for most people to remember. This causes
headaches for users and administrators alike. Furthermore, people
write down their passwords in public places, or choose common
passwords that are easy to guess.
- passwords are subject to eavesdropping. Many machines on the
Internet have been attacked by this method. It is now almost
universally accepted that passwords are a completely insecure means of
user authentication on public networks.
- passwords are too easy to share between people, making it very
difficult to enforce personal responsibility as part of a security policy.
Passwords can still be a strong component of user authentication, but
they are best when combined with another method such as an intelligent
token or biometric authentication technique. For information on
intelligent managment as password usage policies, see
[1].
Kevin S. McCurley
Sat Mar 11 16:00:15 MST 1995