Password Management Protocol - Assignment Example

Information Technology infrastructure can be protected through diverse authentication techniques such as username and password combination, biometric fingerprint or hand scanning recognition or usage of smartcards for identification. After proper authentication, the next step is to identify the number/level of operations the logged in person can perform (access control/level). This function can be performed by developed Access Control Mechanism (ACM) with help of identified Access Control List (ACL) or Access Control database.

It is pertinent to mention here that the human involvement is the weakest factor for secure systems developed with appropriate information security standards. Microsoft Outlook has its own Password Management Protocol that allows users to login the MS Outlook after providing the correct password. It stores usernames and the password associated with it, on the Microsoft Exchange Server as well as client’s personal computer. One of the major weaknesses of password management protocol of MS Outlook is that its password can easily be hacked by a plenty of software available over the internet through password secured Personal Storage Files (*.pst file) used by MS Outlook.

All passwords could be recovered easily and instantly, despite of the password’s length. . Furthermore, the protocol also allows similar and shared passwords to apply on MS Outlook account. This enhances vulnerability of password broken into the MS Outlook account through guess. References Lowe, Gavin. 2004. Analysing protocols subject to guessing attacks. Journal of Computer Security. Bloomberg, L., Paul. 2010. Passwords security protocols. Available at: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/service-oriented/passwords-security-protocols-cost-more-than-they-save-says-microsoft-researcher/4492 [Accessed 14 July 2012] Informer, I.

, Technologies. 2012. Microsoft Outlook Password Management Protocol Software. Available at: http://microsoft1.software.informer.com/download-microsoft-outlook-password-management-protocol/ [Accessed 14 July 2012] Generally, Byzantine Agreement is fundamental problem in distributed computing that engages a structure of n processes from which t number of processes may possibly be faulty. The faulty processes are a collection of processes that include from simple crashed processes to the processes which also misleads the good processes into disagreement.

The proper processes need to concur on a binary value propelled by a spreader that is from the n processes. If the spreader propels the identical value to all processes, subsequently each accurate process has to agree on the spread value and in either case the processes have to agree on some value. More unambiguously, Byzantine Agreement is accomplished only after fulfilling the following conditions: i. All appropriately working processes agree on the same value, and ii. If the transmitter functions accurately, afterward each and every accurately functioning process agrees on its value.

The transmitters