Passwords as Authenticators

Passwords as Authenticators

The most common authentication mechanism for user to operating system is a password, a "word" known to computer and user. Although password protection seems to offer a relatively secure system, human practice sometimes degrades its quality. In this section we consider passwords, criteria for selecting them, and ways of using them for authentication. We conclude by noting other authentication techniques and by studying problems in the authentication process, notably Trojan horses masquerading as the computer authentication process.

Use of Passwords

Passwords are mutually agreed-upon code words, assumed to be known only to the user and the system. In some cases a user chooses passwords; in other cases the system assigns them. The length and format of the password also vary from one system to another.

Even though they are widely used, passwords suffer from some difficulties of use:

  Loss. Depending on how the passwords are implemented, it is possible that no one will be able to replace a lost or forgotten password. The operators or system administrators can certainly intervene and unprotect or assign a particular password, but often they cannot determine what password a user has chosen; if the user loses the password, a new one must be assigned.

  Use. Supplying a password for each access to a file can be inconvenient and time consuming.

  Disclosure. If a password is disclosed to an unauthorized individual, the file becomes immediately accessible. If the user then changes the password to reprotect the file, all the other legitimate users must be informed of the new password because their old password will fail.

  Revocation. To revoke one user's access right to a file, someone must change the password, thereby causing the same problems as disclosure.

The use of passwords is fairly straightforward. A user enters some piece of identification, such as a name or an assigned user ID; this identification can be available to the public or easy to guess because it does not provide the real security of the system. The system then requests a password from the user. If the password matches that on file for the user, the user is authenticated and allowed access to the system. If the password match fails, the system requests the password again, in case the user mistyped.