Four questions at the airport
At the airport, four things happen.
You show a passport: this says who you claim to be. A guard looks at your face: this checks it is really you. Your ticket opens one gate and not the staff door: this is what you may do. Cameras record everything: this shows who did what.
A computer system asks the same four questions.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Identification | Saying who you are. | typing a username |
| Authentication | Proving you are who you said. | a password or a fingerprint |
| Authorisation | Deciding what you are allowed to do. | a student cannot edit marks |
| Accountability | Being able to trace every action back to a person. | a log of who changed a mark |
| Role | A job in the system that comes with a set of rights. | teacher, student |
| Access control list | A list on a resource that says who may use it. | a list on a folder |
| Audit log | A record of who did what, and when. | Sam read marks at 9:03 |
| Biometric | Using a part of your body to identify you. | fingerprint, face |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Quick check: which step?
Have a go
Quick check: which step?
3 questionsHave a go: your answers are marked here and then forgotten. Sign in if you would like your score kept, and to pick up where you left off.Sign in to keep your score
Your answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Step 1: ways to identify yourself
| Kind | Example | Benefit | Drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Something you know | Username, email address | Easy. Costs nothing | Easy to guess. Not secret |
| Something you have | Staff card, phone, security key | Hard to copy from far away | Can be lost or stolen |
| Something you are | Fingerprint, face | Always with you. Hard to fake | Costs money. Raises privacy worries. You cannot change your fingerprint |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Which step is it?
Have a go
Which step is it?
6 questionsHave a go: your answers are marked here and then forgotten. Sign in if you would like your score kept, and to pick up where you left off.Sign in to keep your score
Your answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.