Security Features of Ordinary Operating Systems

Security Features of Ordinary Operating Systems

A multiprogramming operating system performs several functions that relate to security. To see how, examine Figure 5-10, which illustrates how an operating system interacts with users, provides services, and allocates resources.

We can see that the system addresses several particular functions that involve computer security:

  User authentication. The operating system must identify each user who requests access and must ascertain that the user is actually who he or she purports to be. The most common authentication mechanism is password comparison.

  Memory protection. Each user's program must run in a portion of memory protected against unauthorized accesses. The protection will certainly prevent outsiders' accesses, and it may also control a user's own access to restricted parts of the program space. Differential security, such as read, write, and execute, may be applied to parts of a user's memory space. Memory protection is usually performed by hardware mechanisms, such as paging or segmentation.

  File and I/O device access control. The operating system must protect user and system files from access by unauthorized users. Similarly, I/O device use must be protected. Data protection is usually achieved by table lookup, as with an access control matrix.

  Allocation and access control to general objects. Users need general objects, such as constructs to permit concurrency and allow synchronization. However, access to these objects must be controlled so that one user does not have a negative effect on other users. Again, table lookup is the common means by which this protection is provided.

Enforced sharing. Resources should be made available to users as appropriate. Sharing brings about the need to guarantee integrity and consistency. Table lookup, combined with integrity controls such as monitors or transaction processors, is often used to support controlled sharing.

  Guaranteed fair service. All users expect CPU usage and other service to be provided so that no user is indefinitely starved from receiving service. Hardware clocks combine with scheduling disciplines to provide fairness. Hardware facilities and data tables combine to provide control.

  Interprocess communication and synchronization. Executing processes sometimes need to communicate with other processes or to synchronize their accesses to shared resources. Operating systems provide these services by acting as a bridge between processes, responding to process requests for asynchronous communication with other processes or synchronization. Interprocess communication is mediated by access control tables.

  Protected operating system protection data. The operating system must maintain data by which it can enforce security. Obviously if these data are not protected against unauthorized access (read, modify, and delete), the operating system cannot provide enforcement. Various techniques, including encryption, hardware control, and isolation, support isolation of operating system protection data.