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OPERATING SYSTEMS SECURITY – A
REVIEW
Shravani Kharade, Samruddhi Takawale,
Akshada Kumbhar, Mrs Mayuri Bapat
Mohammadwadi Pune, Hadapsar Pune, chikli, Pune
Science and computer science department
MIT Arts, Commerce & Science College alandi, Pune, India
Abstract— Security is a primary concern in the modern world. The main focus of this paper is the security
of our information and its supporting infrastructure. With good cause, there has been significant effort over
the past decade by operating system developers focused on improving the security of operating systems. This
has resulted in regular patching, various security- oriented operating system. By keeping the computer system
secure we can provide the security to the computer information. In order to have a secure operating system
it must be supported by the suitable computer architecture. There is a strong interrelationship between
security and privacy even though they are distinct domains, and the aspects of each are often confused. In
this paper, I will study the differences between security and privacy as it relates to operating systems and
report on developments, contrasts and future improvements. operating system security is a critical area of
research and development, pivotal to save guarding information technology systems from unauthorized
accesses, data bridges and other cyber threads.
INTRODUCTION:
In general, the concern of security in operating systems is with the problem of controlling access to computer
systems and the information stored in them. There have been identified four types of overall protection
policies of increasing order of difficulty [6]:
1.No sharing: processes are completely isolated from each other, and each process has exclusive control
over the resources statically or dynamically assigned to it. In this case, processes often share a program
or data file by making a copy of it and transferring the copy into their own
virtual memory.
2.Sharing originals of program or data files: with the use of reentrant code, a single physical
realization of a program can appear in multiple virtual address spaces, as can read-only data files. To
prevent simultaneous users from interfering with
each other, special locking mechanisms are required for the sharing of writable data files.
3. Confined, or memory-less, subsystems: In this case, processes are grouped into subsystems to
enforce a particular protection policy. For example, a client process calls a server process to perform
some task on data. The server is to be protected against the client discovering the algorithm by
which it performs the task, while the client is to be protected against the server's retaining any information
about the task being performed.
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4.Controlled information dissemination: In some systems, security classes are defined to enforce a
particular dissemination policy.Users and applications are given security clearances of a certain level,
while data and other resources are given security classifications. The security policy enforces restrictions
concerning which users have access to which classifications. This model is useful not only in the military
context but commercial applications as well.
The work in security and protection as it relates to operating systems can be grouped into three
categories.
1.Access control: concerned with regulating user access to the total system, sub systems, and data, and
regulating process access to various resources and objects within the system.
2.Information flow control: regulates the flow of data within the system and its delivery to users.
3.Certification: relates to proving that access and flow control mechanisms per form according to
their specifications and that they enforce desired protection and security policies.
cia triad
Principles of operating system Security:
Operating System (OS) Security is built on a set of fundamental principles designed to protect the
integrity, confidentiality, and availability of computing systems. Understanding these principles is crucial
for anyone involved in the development, administration, or use of operating systems.
1.Least Privilege:The principle of least privilege dictates that users and programs should operate using the
least amount of privilege necessary to complete a task. This limits the potential damage from accidents or
malicious actions by reducing the access and permissions to the minimum required.
2. Defense in Depth: Défense in depth is a strategy that employs multiple layers of security controls and
defenses throughout the system. If one layer fails, others still stand, providing a comprehensive approach to
security that addresses potential physical, technical, and administrative vulnerabilities.
3. Fail-Safe Defaults: Systems should be designed to default to a state of security if they fail. Access
decisions should deny by default, and permissions should not be granted unless explicitly allowed.
This ensures that if a failure occurs, the system remains secure.
4. Economy of Mechanism: The design of security mechanisms should be as simple and small as
possible. Complex systems are harder to secure because they potentially have more vulnerabilities.
Simplification aids in the verification and validation of security properties.
5. Complete Mediation:
Every access to every resource must be checked for authorization. This principle ensures that attackers
cannot bypass security controls to access sensitive resources. It requires the system to verify permission for
an action each time that action is attempted.
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Requirements for operating system:
An understanding the types of threats to OS security that exist requires a definition of security
requirements. OS security addresses four requirements:
1.Confidentiality: requires that the information in a computer system be accessible only for reading
by authorized parties. This type of access includes printing, displaying, and other forms of disclosure,
including simply revealing the existence of an object. 2.Integrity: requires that only authorized parties
can modify computer system assets. Modification includes writing, changing, changing status, deleting,
and creating.
3.Availability: requires that computer system assets are available to authorized parties.
4.Authenticity: requires that a computer system be able to verify the identity of a user
Methods to Ensure Protection and Security in Operating System:
Keep a Data Backup: It is a safe option in case of data corruption due to problems in protection and security,
you can always require it from the Backup. Beware of suspicious emails and links: When we visit some
malicious link over the internet, it can cause a serious issue by acquiring user access. Secure Authentication
and Authorization: OS should provide secure authentication and authorization for access to resources and
also users should keep the credentials safe to avoid illegal access to resources
Use Secure Wi-Fi Only: Sometimes using free Wi-Fi or insecure Wi-Fi may cause security issues, because
attackers can transmit harmful programs over the network or record the activity etc., which could cause a
big problem in the worst case.
Install anti-virus and malware protection: It helps to remove and avoid viruses and malware from the system.
Manage access wisely: The access should be provided to apps and software by thorough analysis because no
software can harm our system until it acquires access. So, we can ensure to provide suitable access to software
and we can always keep an eye on software to see what resources and access it is using.
Firewalls Utilities: It enables us to monitor and filter network traffic.We can use firewalls to ensure that only
authorized users are allowed to access or transfer data.
Encryption and Decryption Based transfer: The data content must be transferred according to an encryption
algorithm that can only be reversed with the appropriate decryption key. This process protects your data from
unauthorized access over the internet, also even if data is stolen it would always remain unreadable.
Be cautious when sharing personal information: The personal information and credentials must be shared
only with trusted and safe sources by not doing so attackers can use this information for their intent which
could be harmful to the system's security.
Operating system security tools:
Operating system security tools encompass a range of software designed to protect the operating system
from various threats Antivirus/Anti-malware software:
Detects and removes viruses,worms, Trojans, and other malicious software.
Firewall: Monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security
rules. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion
Prevention Systems (IPS) : Detect and prevent unauthorized access to computer networks or systems. File
Integrity Checkers: Monitor and detect unauthorized changes to critical system files.
Encryption Tools: Encrypt sensitive data to prevent unauthorized access. Patch Management Software:
Ensures that operating system and application software are up-to-date with the latest security patches.
Vulnerability Scanners Identify weaknesses in the operating system or installed software that could be
exploited by attackers. Log Management and Analysis Tools: Collect, store, and analyse log data to detect
and investigate security incidents.
Authentication Tools: Manage user authentication and access control mechanisms to ensure only authorized
users can access the system.These tools can vary incomplexity and functionality, and their effectiveness
depends on proper configuration, maintenance, and integration within the overall security posture of an
organization.
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MODEL OF SECURITY:
In an access control based security model, there are two sets-a set of objects and a set of subjects, which
can itself be an object. Each object and subject has a corresponding security attribute or label or clearance,
and a defined set of control rule or security policy. This determines which subject is authorized to access
which object.
For example, in military security model, a security label consists of two components: a security level with
one of the four ratings: unclassified, confidential, secret, and top secret, where unclassified < confidential
< secret < top secret, and “ NUCLEAR might mean information about cryptographic algorithms, and
nuclear. related technology. Given two security labels, (X, S1) and (Y, S2), (X, S1) is defined as being “at
least as sensitive as” (Y, S2) iff X • Y and
S2 S1. For example, (TOP SECRET, {CRYPTO, NUCLEAR})> (SECRET,{CRYPTO}) where“>” means
“more sensitive than”. In general, security labels are partially ordered. That is, it is possible for two labels to
be incomparable, in the sense that neither is more sensitive than the other. For example, neither of the
following is comparable to each other: (TOP SECRET, {CRYPTO}) (SECRET, {NUCLEAR}).A more
generalized hierarchy of security classes (or levels) with a mathematical basis was presented by Bell and La
Padula in 1973.
Conclusion:
In this paper we listed the primitive security services that are provided in general by operating
systems. The services are: memory protection, file protection, general object access protection and user
authentication. If those services are provided in a consistent andefficient way, the system in considered
being trusted which means that the system meets the security requirements, is of high enough quality
and justifies the user’s confidence in that quality. [7] The underpinnings of a trusted operating system
are: policy, model, design and trust.
References:
[1]https://ijirt.org/master/pub lished
paper/IJIRT100350_PAPE R.pdf
[2]“Flask: Flux Advanced security Kernel”,
https://wwwold.cs.utah.edu/flux/fluke/h tml/fl ask.html
[3]Issues of Operating Systems Security
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228409741_Issueo
f_Operating_Systems_Secur ity
[4]Tipton, H., Krause, M. -Information Security Auerbach, 2002;
Charlie Kaufman, Radia Perlman, and Mike Speciner,“Network Security:
Private Communication in a Public World”, PTR Prentice Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1995.
[6]Tipton, H., Krause, M. -Information Security Auerbach, 200
[7]Pfleeger, C. - Security in Computing, Ed. Prentice Hall, 2003
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