User Manual

Safeguard User’s Guide—422089-009
B-1
B Protecting Your Terminal
As a general user, you need to take certain precautions to protect your terminal and
prevent unauthorized access to your system. Namely, you must ensure the secrecy of
your password, and you should log off or lock your terminal if you plan to leave it
unattended.
Protecting Your Password
To log on to your system, you identify yourself by entering your user name (or user ID)
and password. If someone else tries to log on with your user ID or user name, that
person must also enter the correct password. Because your user ID and user name
are not private, it is important for you to protect the secrecy of your password.
When you are given your initial password, you should change it immediately. If you do
not have an initial password, you should create one for yourself. If the Safeguard
subsystem is running on your system, you can change your password when you log
on. To change a password or create an initial one after you log on, use the
PASSWORD program as described in the Guardian User's Guide.
With the Safeguard software, you might also be required to change your password at
regular intervals. In addition, there might be a restriction on the frequency with which
you can change your password. To check for these conditions, display your user
authentication record as described in Section 6, Obtaining User and Alias Information.
If the Safeguard subsystem is running on your system, you are notified of your
password expiration date when you log on.
In general, when you change your password, select one that is easy for you to
remember but difficult for someone else to guess. To minimize the risk of discovery,
avoid writing down your password.
When you choose a password, do not select a word that could be easily associated
with you, such as your nickname. Long passwords are usually better than short
passwords, but passwords cannot exceed eight characters. Good passwords
frequently contain a mixture of uppercase and lowercase characters.
Logging Off
Always log off or lock your terminal when you plan to leave it unattended. If you do not
log off and someone uses your terminal to manipulate sensitive files, an audit trail
might implicate you as the intruder.
In addition, you should log off before you allow someone else to use your terminal.
TACL allows someone else to log on to your terminal even if you are not logged off.
Even though this second log on causes you to be logged off automatically, TACL
retains your currently defined variables, such as macros and function-key definitions.
Also, several pages of previously displayed screen information might still be available
to the new user. This situation might present a potential security breach.