User guide

Odyssey Access Client User Guide
108 
Asymmetric algorithm—A pair of key values, one public and one private, used to
encrypt and decrypt data. Only the holder of the private key can decrypt data
encrypted with the public key, which means anyone who obtains a copy of the
public key can send data to the private key holder in confidence. Only data
encrypted with the private key can be decrypted with the public key, this provides
proof of identity, ensures nonrepudiation, and provides the basis for digital
signatures.
Asynchronous—Character-by character or cell-by-cell or data unit-by date unit
transfer.
Attribute certificate—Digital certificate that binds data items to a user or system
by using a name or public key certificate.
Auditing—Tracking users’ access to resources primarily for security purposes.
Authenticate—To verify the identity of a user, user device, or other entity, or the
integrity of the data stored, transmitted, or otherwise exposed to unauthorized
modification in an IS, or to establish the validity of a transmission.
Authentication—The process of validating users who want to access a secure
network. See also AAA.
Authorization—The process of identifying what a given user is allowed to do. See
also AAA.
Availability—Ensures any necessary data is available when it is requested.
B
Back door—A method of gaining access to a system or resource that bypasses
normal authentication or access methods.
Binding—The process of associating a specific communications terminal with a
specific cryptographic key or associating two related elements of information.
Biometrics—Authentication based on some part of the human anatomy, such as
retina, fingerprint, or voice.
Block cipher—Transforms a message from plaintext (unencrypted form) to cipher
text (encrypted form) one piece at a time, where the block size represents a
standard chunk or data that is transformed in a single operation.
Brute force attack—The process of trying to recover a cryptographic key or
password by trying all reasonable possibilities.
C
Centralized key management—A certificate authority that generates both public
and private key pairs for a user and then distributes them to a user.
Certificate—An electronic document attached to a public key by a trusted third
party that provides proof that the public key belongs to a legitimate owner and has
not been compromised. Also called a digital certificate.