Access Control and Password Security Overview

1. MMTK Access control

2. Session overview • Introduction to access control • Passwords • Computers • Files • Online spaces and networks • Firewalls

3. Introduction • Access control is about ensuring that information is • Accessible to those who are authorized to see it • Not accessible to others • In general, do not prevent access to information without good reason • Main type of access control are passwords and firewalls.

4. Passwords • Used for authenticate access • Not infallible, but an important basic step • Use passwords to secure • Computers • Files • Online spaces • Networks

5. Password tips • Don’t reveal your password to anyone else • Don’t use personal information as a password • Best to choose a random sequence of alphanumeric characters not less than six characters long, using both upper and lower case character, e.g. KH92hw • Never use sequential passwords (such as the names of days or months) • Don’t reuse passwords (or at least not within a year or two) • Change your passwords immediately if you think someone else has had access to them • Never use the same password more than once on the same system

6. Firewalls • Firewalls are hardware and software tools which • Prevent unauthorized access to and from computers via the internet • Restrict access to particular services or programmes • “Good” traffic can move freely; “bad” traffic is kept out • ANY computer or network which is connected to the internet should be firewalled