SECURING FIBRE CHANNEL FABRICS - Brocade

Chapter 4: Security Basics for Storage ProfessionalsIdentification and AuthenticationOne of the great challenges in IT security is providing a method toallow users access to IT resources and to prove that they really arewho they claim to be before granting them access. This is usually atwo-part process involving identification (stating who you are) andauthentication (proving you really are that person). There are severalmethods available to accomplish both of these functions.AuthenticationWhen only one method is used to authenticate a person, it is called asingle-factor authentication. When more than one method is used toauthenticate a person then it is called multi-factor authentication.The four different factors of authentication are:• Something you have such as a key, an access card, an employeebadge, or a user account• Something you know such as a password, a personal identificationnumber (PIN), or an access code• Something you are that is a part of your physical person such as afingerprint, retina or iris, voice, or facial features (biometrics)• How you do something, such as the way you write your signatureor how you type on a keyboardUsing more than one factor of authentication provides strongerauthentication. For example, if an employee's access card to the companybuilding is stolen, then the thief would be able to use that card toaccess the building without any further challenges. On the other hand,if the same employee was also required to enter a 4-digit PIN on a keypad,then that would provide additional protection against someonetrying to use a lost or stolen access card. Nevertheless, one couldargue that an employee could be coerced to giving someone their PIN.For more sensitive environments, biometrics could help protectagainst coercion, since it would be very difficult to simulate anotherperson's biometric characteristics, like a fingerprint or retinal pattern.Some devices are quite sophisticated and also measure temperatureor other parameters to prevent using body parts that have beenremoved from their rightful owners.62 Securing Fibre Channel Fabrics