Multifactor Authentication in Font

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When addressing physical security in a network, you should also consider multifactor authentication. Multifactor authentication is the act of requiring multiple sources of identification to authenticate a user. This can be the combination of a smart card and a password or biometrics and a password. Smart cards are digital identification cards and can be used for the authentication of a user s identity. The most common example is in conjunction with a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) on a network. The smart card stores an encrypted digital certificate issued from the PKI along with any other relevant or needed information about the cardholder. Many companies use smart cards as their primary method of access control, mainly because they are a privacyenhancing technology. Most people carry incriminating information around themselves in their wallet or purse. By employing contactless smart cards that can be read without having to remove the card from the wallet or even the garment it is in, one can add even more authentication value to the human carrier of the cards and increase the anonymity of those who use the network.

Biometrics is the science and technology of authentication (that is, establishing the identity of an individual) by measuring the subject person s physiological or behavioral features. Just like something out of a James Bond movie, a user places their hand on a finger print scanner or aligns their eye with a retinal scanner. If the image matches the information in the user database, the user is authenticated. Since a fingerprint, blood vessel print, or retinal image is unique, the only way the system can authenticate is if the proper user is there.

Note UPEK has a fingerprint scanner on the market. For more information about it, refer to http://

upek.com/mac. In our testing, the device works effectively. It can be used in a multifactor environment and can bypass password use altogether (but is not recommended). The UPEK ties into the existing Mac OS X authorization framework. Prior to the release of the UPEK, the SonyPuppy was the last fingerprint scanner with a solid Mac client.

The only way an unauthorized user can get access is by physically kidnapping the authorized user and forcing them through the system. For this reason, biometrics are the strongest (and the costliest) form of authentication. One should never rely solely on biometrics because many of the biometric mechanisms are not as secure as they are made out to be and because there are ways to bypass or trick them in most situations. However, biometrics offers increasingly reliable mechanisms for authentication and can do well in two-factor authentication scenarios where both username/password combinations and biometric tokens are used. These technologies are becoming more reliable, and they will become widely used over the next few years. Implementations have been limited mainly because of the high cost associated with these technologies. However, when strong username and password requirements are combined with biometrics and smart cards, a multifactor authentication scenario is employed, creating a very strong authentication environment.

Enforcing security is like a cat-and-mouse game. New technology breeds new developments that create new flaws that run rampant in the operating system. This means more mice for the cats to find. The cat will eventually find them, and security updates will be released; it s just a matter of when and at what cost to the security fabric. Some security flaws result in code developed by the community that is used to further protect resources. This is how software firewalls, proxy servers, and other security features not typically included in operating systems by default have developed over time. This community development leads to a more secure environment and better-protected resources. Software developers are not always quick to release updates or even admit the possibility of exploits. The best way to keep updated on ways to protect your system are to keep up-to-date on the various exploits that have been released in the security community and the countermeasures that are found to combat them. Keeping current on the security community allows you to know more than what the developers are admitting to and be able to stay best protected. To keep current, consider reading the release notes for security patches and visiting web sites such as http://www.afp548.com and http://www.macenterprise.org.