The Last Line of Defense: A Comparison of Windows and Linux Authentication and Authorization Features

Abstract

With the rise of the Internet, computer systems appear to be more vulnerable than ever from security attacks. Much attention has been focused on the role of the network in security attacks, but evidence suggests that the computer server and its operating system deserve closer examination since it is ultimately the operating system and its core defense mechanisms of authentication and authorization which are compromised in an attack. This chapter provides an exploratory and evaluative discussion of the authentication and authorization features of two widely used server operating systems: Windows and Linux.