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Identity And Access Management (Iam) Is A Vital Part Of

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Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a vital part of any organization’s security. Quite often, it is overlooked or not deemed important enough to invest in. It is very important for all employees, new and existing, to be given the proper access to the resources they need, and to be restricted from accessing resources they do not need, in order to perform their job. If the wrong access is given, an employee can either accidentally or intentionally change or destroy company data. Furthermore, a weak IAM policy leaves an organization open to external attacks. IAM is one of the most important, if not the most important, part of computer security.
There are three steps to Identity and Access Management: Identification, Authentication, …show more content…

Passwords should not contain dictionary words. Most passwords must be at least eight characters long and use two or more of the above character types. Longer and more complex passwords make discovering them more difficult for a hacker. Even with these safeguards, there is still a problem. CEO of Biometrics Signature ID Jeff Maynard stated that “armed with that information, users can access everything from medical records and bank accounts to credit card information, emails, and other sensitive information. The problem, of course, is that anyone armed with the same login credentials can also access the same information” (1). This is what happened with both the Sony Pictures attack in 2014 and the Target breach in 2013 that compromised their customer’s credit and debit cards.
The second authentication type, something you are, usually involves some type of biometric information about an individual. This can be a fingerprint, an eye scan, voice print, or facial recognition. Fingerprint scans allow for positive identification with a low probability of misidentification. They also serve to both identify and authenticate a user. Eye scanners involve a scan of a person’s iris, or the blood vessels in a person’s eye in order to make a positive identification. Both methods are usually used for access to physical assets. Both eye

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