Computer Security
Lecture 4
Authentication and Access
Control
Erland Jonsson
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Chalmers University of Technology
Sweden
User authentication
Authentication – definition
Authentication is verifying a user’s identity
cp: message authentication: is check of
message authenticity (Sw. äkthet) and source
In an OS each account has one identifier
(e.g. username) and one authenticator
(e.g. password)
The identifier tells who you are.
The authenticator verifies that this is true, i.e. it
provides a secure coupling between the user
and his account
User Authentication
fundamental security building block
– basis of access control & user accountability
is the process of verifying an identity
claimed by or for a system entity
has two steps:
– identification - specify identifier
– verification - bind entity (person) and
identifier
distinct from message authentication
Authentication procedure
The authentication procedure consists of 4 stages:
1) identification of the user (who is it?)
2) provision of some kind of authentication
information, which is secret and unforgeable.
3) transmission of the authentication information
to the system through a secure channel.
4) validation of the authentication information wrt some
reference information (proof of correctness)
Problems (errors, attacks) can occur in all those 4
stages
Authentication information
The authentication information can be of 3 different,
generic types, based on something that is unique for the user:
• something you KNOW (e.g password, PIN code)
• something you HAVE (e.g smartcard)
• something you ARE (DO) (e.g fingerprint), (biometrical
methods, something characteristic about you)
(WHERE you are can also be used in some situations)
In general, something that you have is called a token. i.e.
something that is used for authentication
A capability is an unforgeable token that gives the
possessor certain rights (to an object) - authorization
Biometric accuracy –
threshold selection
The transmission channel
The transmission channel is often the weakest
link, especially when long distances are involved
The transmission channel may be very short and
still be vulnerable
The “usual” transmission threats and problems
apply, such as:
- eavesdropping
- manipuation of routers, gateways
- replay attacks
Consequently, the “usual” remedies also apply
Validation of authentication
The system must have some kind of reference information in
order to validate the authentication information
An attack can be launched against the reference info, e.g.:
- read stored password
- change the reference info
Protection of password reference info:
a) store in a file with strong and limited Access Control
b) encryption
c) (a + b)
Pros and Cons:
a) - cleartext storage and comparison is in cleartext
- back-up tapes, memory dumps reveals password
b) + could be stored in readable files (?)
- open for brute force attacks
Access Control
Access Control
Definition of Access Control:
The prevention of unauthorized use of a
resource (including the prevention of use
of a resource in an unauthorized manner)
central element of computer security
- used for boundary protection
access control permits users and groups
◦ to authenticate to system
◦ to be assigned access rights to certain
resources in the system i.e. authorized
Access Control Elements
subject - entity that can access objects
◦ a process representing user/application
◦ often have 3 classes: owner, group, world
object - access controlled resource
◦ e.g. files, directories, records, programs etc
◦ number/type depend on environment
access right - way in which subject accesses
an object
◦ e.g. read, write, execute, delete, create, search
Access Control Usage
Access Control
provided using an access control matrix
◦ lists of subjects in one dimension (rows)
◦ lists of objects in the other dimension
(columns)
◦ each entry specifies access rights of the
specified subject to that object
access control matrix is often sparse
can decompose by either column, leading
to an access control list (ACL) or by
row, leading to capability tickets
Access Control Matrix
Access Control 2
The access control list provides a list of subjects,
who can access a single object (one list “per file”
or object)1
The capability ticket approach presents a list of
objects accessible by a single subject
(one list “per user” or subject)1
A capability ticket is an unforgeable token that
gives the possessor certain rights to an object, i.e.
it specifies the authorization for a particular user
1. See book fig. 4.3
Mandatory and Discretionary
Access Control
MANDATORY ACCESS CONTROL (MAC) means
that some central authority (e.g. the security officer)
determines what information is accessible to whom
DISCRETIONARY ACCESS CONTROL (DAC)
means that the owner of the file (i.e. the user) determines
what information is accessible to whom
MAC and DAC can both be applied at the same time
MAC is most commonly used in the multi-level security
mechanism (MLS) in the Military Security Policy
DAC is used in many operating systems, e.g. UNIX.
Role-Based Access Control
In ROLE-BASED ACCESS CONTROL (RBAC) the
rights are assigned to roles rather than to the users.
For example in a hospital: surgeon, medical practitioner,
nurse, janitor, etc
RBAC employs MAC and has been developed to meet the
needs from commercial and societal systems.
Procedure:
identification - authentication - selection of role - access to
information (according to role).
Advantages:
- easy to enforce enterprise-specific security policies
- security management is simplified
Other policies exist, e.g Team-Based Access Control, etc
Role-
Based
Access
Control
User to Role:
Role-
Based
Access
Control
Role to Access
Right:
