Running Header: IT286 Unit 4 Assignment
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Tina Kingston
Kaplan University
IT286-02 Introduction to Network Security
Professor Haycock
April 18, 2016
IT286 Unit 4 Assignment
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1. Authentication is based on one or more of five factors. Create a table of these five.
Factor Example
Factor
Example
What you know
Login ID/password
[Dul14]
What you have
Smart card
[Dul14]
Who you are
Biometrics
[Dul14]
What you do
A unique pattern (typing style, handwriting, etc.)
[Dul14]
Where you are
Geolocation (could be IP based)
[Dul14]
2. In a short essay describe the pros and cons of implementing a single factor
authentication system and of implementing a multifactor authentication system. Cite your
resources.
Single factor authentication is a process of securing access to any given system. Using
this type of system, only one set of credentials are required to gain access to a system. The most
common type is a password-based type of authentication. This type of security relies on the
creating a strong password and ensuring no one has access to it. Single factor authentication is
vulnerable to brute force attacks. SFA is also vulnerable to social engineering or phishing
tactics[Rou15].
Multifactor authentication also has its pros and cons. Some types of multifactor
authentication are biometrics smartcards and one time passwords.
Biometrics are more
frequently being built into some laptop computers, requiring a fingerprint to be used to power up
the hard drive. Where this may be a cheap and easy to use form of authentication, it cannot work
well for physicians who wash their hands frequently with caustic soaps regularly, for people with
skin diseases, or manual laborers who put a lot of wear and tear on their fingers. It can also
hinder those who log into the laptop to support it, such as IT professionals [Meh11]. Another
