Overview

The functions of security, protection, and privacy are in opposition to the purpose of the time-sharing system. That is, sharing and security are contradictory terms, and it is only with the advent of the "information age" that this dichotomy became apparent. Users cannot throw up their hands in disgust and simply ignore the situation either. Our global society depends on computers and the information that they process because national and international commerce depends on sharing information. No, the subject must be systematized, broken into smaller, manageable problems that can then be individually resolved. This chapter will define and discuss the major security issues and then illustrate solutions that are implemented by the OpenVMS operating system. But this subject is by no means fully understood and will remain a rich area of research for years to come. It may not be as glamorous a study as some others, such as artificial intelligence, but it is at least as important.

Computer security has more than one definition. First, it is the protection of the physical machinery from theft, vandalism, and disasters like water, smoke, and fire. Second, it is protection from unauthorized access to computer resources, such as illegal logins either from remote locations or from a computer center. Third, it involves authorized users performing unauthorized tasks, say, a student with a course work account setting up a consulting business using the school's computer (this is more an ethical than a security situation). Fourth, it is related to the...