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Annotation of coherent/a/usr/man/COHERENT/security, revision 1.1.1.1

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                      3: security              Technical Information              security
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                      8: Because COHERENT is  a multi-user, multi-tasking operating system
                      9: which  can support  users from  remote  terminals, steps  must be
                     10: taken to ensure that the system is secure.  Sensitive information
                     11: that is stored on the system must be protected from being read or
                     12: copied by  unauthorized persons; files must  be protected against
                     13: vandalization by  intruders.  Unless  a reasonable degree  can be
                     14: guaranteed, no multi-user  operating system can be trusted to ar-
                     15: chive important information.
                     16: 
                     17: In one  sense, it is easy  to achieve perfect security  in a com-
                     18: puter system.   As Grampp and Morris have noted,  ``It is easy to
                     19: run a secure  computer system.  You merely disconnect all dial-up
                     20: connections,  put the  machine and  its  terminals in  a shielded
                     21: room,  and  post  a guard  at  the  door.''  For practical  uses,
                     22: however, security means balancing ease of access against restric-
                     23: tiveness:  users should  have  easy access  to  what is  properly
                     24: theirs, and  should be barred from system  facilities that do not
                     25: belong to them.
                     26: 
                     27: The  COHERENT  system  has the  following  tools  to assist  with
                     28: security.
                     29: 
                     30: _P_a_s_s_w_o_r_d_s Every  user account can be  ``locked'' with a password.
                     31:           Each user  can assign her own  password, and the system
                     32:           administrator can set passwords for the superusers root
                     33:           and bin.
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                     35:           Passwords  should be  changed  frequently.  A  password
                     36:           should have  at least six  characters, should not  be a
                     37:           common name  or word,  and preferably should  include a
                     38:           mixture  of upper- and  lower-case letters,  to prevent
                     39:           decryption by brute-force methods.
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                     41:           Passwords should be  guarded jealously.  In particular,
                     42:           the  password for  the  superuser root  should be  kept
                     43:           secret, as  she can read  every file and  execute every
                     44:           program throughout the system.
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                     46: _P_e_r_m_i_s_s_i_o_n_s
                     47:           Execution of  system-level programs, such  as mount, is
                     48:           restricted  to the superuser  root.  This  prevents in-
                     49:           truders from seizing  superuser permissions through un-
                     50:           authorized manipulation  of system  services.  Ordinary
                     51:           users are  also restricted from  directly access system
                     52:           devices, for the same reason.
                     53: 
                     54: _E_n_c_r_y_p_t_i_o_n
                     55:           The command  crypt performs rotary  encryption, similar
                     56:           to that  used by the  German Enigma machine.   Files of
                     57:           sensitive information  should be encrypted,  to protect
                     58:           them against being  read by unauthorized persons.  Note
                     59:           that encryption  is the  only true defense  against un-
                     60:           authorized reading: not  even the superuser can read an
                     61:           encrypted file unless she has the encryption key.
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                     63: 
                     64: COHERENT Lexicon                                           Page 1
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                     69: security              Technical Information              security
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                     74: Many COHERENT  systems have only one user  and are not networked;
                     75: for such  installations, the normal  level of security  may be an
                     76: annoyance.   Passwords can  be turned  off  by using  the command
                     77: passwd to set the password to <return>.  The command chmod can be
                     78: used to  widen access to devices  and system-level utilities; see
                     79: the Lexicon entry for chmod for more information on file access.
                     80: 
                     81: Security  ultimately is a  system-wide responsibility.   To quote
                     82: Grampp and  Morris, ``By far, the greatest  security hazard for a
                     83: system ...  is the set of  people who use it.   If the people who
                     84: use a  machine are naive about security  issues, the machine will
                     85: be vulnerable regardless of what is done by the local management.
                     86: This applies particularly to the system's administrators, but or-
                     87: dinary users should also take heed.''
                     88: 
                     89: ***** See Also *****
                     90: 
                     91: chmod, crypt, passwd, technical information
                     92: Grampp FT, Morris  RH: UNIX operating system security.  _A_T&_T _B_e_l_l
                     93: _L_a_b _T_e_c_h _J 1984;8:1649-1672.
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                    130: COHERENT Lexicon                                           Page 2
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