Security Solutions

1-5
Access Control Concepts
Introduction to Access Control
The third question raises another important issue: factors beyond a user’s
identity can affect the appropriate level of access. For example, a daytime
manufacturing worker might require network access during normal working
hours from computers near his assembly station, but not at night or from
computers in the marketing department.
The means by which the user connects to the network can also be relevant.
For example, wireless connections are sometimes more vulnerable to eaves-
dropping than wired, so a user that is normally allowed to access sensitive
data might be prohibited from viewing that same data over a wireless connec-
tion. And because a trusted, well-intentioned user can introduce malware from
within the network by connecting with an improperly secured endpoint, a
complete access control solution should examine the integrity of the user’s
device in addition to the user’s identity.
Chapter 3: “Designing Access Controls” will discuss these considerations in
more depth, guiding you through formulating your own security policy. The
remainder of this chapter focuses on the concepts and technologies that
underlie network access control.