Tarun Gupta

Learn appropriate Operating System User Authentication configuration

Post By Tarun Gupta Post User Last Updated: Oct 24th, 2011 category Web Hosting

Hosting administrators ensure a wide range of appropriate user authentication to ensure the operating system security and data protection. Creating appropriate user groups and assigning respective users to the relevant groups is another important task that administrators usually perform to implement authentication.

In the web hosting services domain, only small number of web administrators and webmasters has the access to configure the operating system. In order to enforce right blend of policy restrictions, web administrators configure the operating system to authenticate users to use certain services. Administrative and other specialized access rights should only be conferred to limited range of users and user groups. Hosting administrators ensure a wide range of appropriate user authentication to ensure the operating system security and data protection.

Removal of unattended user groups:
In the default operating system configuration, certain specific kind of authentication is included. The authentication includes the access for guest accounts, administrator or root level accounts and finally those accounts that are associated with network services. Being a server administrator, you should remove or disable unused accounts to prohibit malicious attacks and infected scripts. In case, a guest account or group is not required, disable or remove that accounts with immediate effect.
Create more interactive user group:
Web hosting services experts recommend disabling accounts that don’t need active login. In web server environment, if you use UNIX system, disable the login shell utility to prevent any unwanted security breach.Creating appropriate user groups and assigning respective users to the relevant groups is another important task that administrators usually perform to improve web server security through managed authentication process.
Prevent password breach:
Administrators at a web hosting company frequently configure computers to prohibit attackers to guess passwords. It has frequently been observed that an unauthorized user attempts access a computer with the help of automated software tools. If your operating system offers you to increase the period between login attempts, execute it without any further delay. Lock out a particular account immediately after a specified number of unsuccessful attempts.
Install additional authentication mechanism:
Sometimes, web servers demand additional heap of information to execute certain set of services. Additional authentication modes like biometrics, smart cards and client/server certificates may be the great help in adding stringent user authentication mode. Organizations therefore change their regulations and policies accordingly when such expensive and highly effective devices are used.

Attackers usually take advantage of network sniffers to capture passwords across a network. In this situation, organizations should attach authentication and encryption technologies with their access control mechanism. Web hosting services administrators may rely on technologies like Secure Sockets Layer, Transport Layer Security or virtual private networking to protect passwords transmission against unauthorized access and various spoofing attacks.

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