The Security of Access Management Systems - Dissertation Example

The ownership-based factors of security are the details that are possessed by the owner himself. It is considered to be something that is physically given by the concerned authorities that will facilitate access to the desired system. However, the level of security for ownership-based factors is considered to be ‘low’ since the physical token can be stolen or misplaced. It includes physical objects that can be used by intruders to gain unauthorized access. A better approach is to use these factors as a part of the authentication process that authorizes the person for example the physical token might have to be used with the combination of a knowledge-based factor.

These are usually referred to as tokens. Three types of tokens have been explained by: The mobile device is also referred to as the USB token device. This device is very small as it is almost the size of a key. The size makes it accessible and reduces the need to remember any credentials. This aspect can save a company a significant amount of expense that would otherwise be spent in buying required software or hardware for the employees [5]. The USB device is recognized by the system and the second part of the authentication process commences i.e. the entry of the password.

These devices are very hard to duplicate and serve as secure mediums to store sensitive information like private keys, security certificates, etc. The following figure shows the image of a USB token device:It has to be inserted in any USB port of the system; this aspect increases its usability since no special software or hardware is required to avail this technology.This technique proves to be effective if it is accompanied by a knowledge-based factor.A smart card resembles a credit card and has a microprocessor embedded in it that stores and processes data.

The presence of the microprocessor makes the device intelligent enough to be handle complex authentication mechanisms. It is recognized by the system through a card reader.