Computer Concepts: Security

Security

Security is the ability of the computer to protect itself from outside threats to function properly.

To ensure that the computer is avoiding tasks that are not permitted to be done (for example, an internet user is trying to fetch a company’s secret records,) the following measures might be taken:

• Dividing the users of a computer into those who are “privileged” to request sensitive tasks (e.g., deleting the entire disk) to be done and those who are “non-privileged” for all such tasks.
• Registering computer users and using usernames to authenticate (= identify) them and passwords to verify that this is the actual user.