atif_system_fundamentals

__**• password protection, security, biometrics and authorized access**__

__**UK requires biometric Visa**__
http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=8494411a-1803-4f2f-9dfd-458359027dc2&ParentID=21281961-4823-4153-a8a2-44cf58d6828b&&Headline=Visiting+UK%3f+Better+get+a+biometric+visa

**Social and Ethical Issues:**
Security refers to the protection of hardware, software, machines and networks from unauthorized access, alteration or destruction. Security measures include restricted access to machines and networks and encryptions of information. The degree of security of information systems determines society’s confidence in the information contained in the systems.


 * Biometrics passports are being introduced all over the world to:**


 * help fight passport fraud and forgery;
 * facilitate more robust border controls and it time, automated immigration checks;
 * meet international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO);

Computer security is concerned with taking care of hardware, software and data. Data is only as secure as the system that it is held on and data security is concerned with keeping the data safe from the various hazards that could destroy it. There are a number of ways that system administrators can protect data.
 * Security Issues**


 * Physical Security: Protection from theft, fire, flood, dust and extremes of temperature. Important computers are placed in secure rooms, sometimes with devices such as biometric scanners, to limit physical access.
 * Password Security: Access to a computer or a network of computers requires a password to be present, usually with a username specific to the person attempting to gain access to the network. Levels of access can be attached to the username allowing a junior member of staff to be restricted to a lower level of data than senior management through the principles of “groups”.
 * Software security: Viruses are numerous and often contaminate and destroy software and files. Anti-virus software can be used to scan a computer’s [[image:http://backoffice.ajb.com.au/images/news/eye.jpg width="192" height="192" align="left"]]memory and files downloaded from the Internet.
 * Encryption – a “key” is used to encode the data in such a way that the data cannot be viewed again without the key.
 * Backing up data: This means taking a copy of the data and keeping it in a different location in a secure place.

In the end though, no computer system is totally foolproof and breaches do happen. This is usually due to the carelessness of users or the system administrator but can sometimes be caused by the use of utilities by hackers to exploit vulnerabilities or to crack passwords.

However, since a lot of countries are starting to use these new passports, they have come out too quickly and are not as secure as they should be, which means that they are easy to clone.It is widely accepted in the industry that most computer chips can be cloned, just like a passport could be photocopied. The most important question is whether the ability to clone a chip similar to that incorporated in the passport actually poses a threat to the security of the passport, it would not be possible to successfully forge a passport by doing this.

__**• operating systems (multitasking, boot) and utilities, (for example, defragment, disk format, virus scan programs)**__

An **operating system** (**OS**) is the software that manages the sharing of the [|resources] of a [|computer]. An operating system processes raw system data and user input, and responds by allocating and managing tasks and internal system resources as a service to users and programs of the system. At the foundation of all system software, an operating system performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating [|memory], prioritizing system requests, controlling input and output devices, facilitating [|networking] and managing [|file systems]. Most operating systems come with an application that provides a [|user interface] for managing the operating system, such as a [|command line interpreter] or [|graphical user interface]. The operating system forms a [|platform] for other [|system software] and for [|application software]. [|Windows], [|Mac OS X], and [|Linux] are three of the most popular operating systems for personal computers.
 * What is an operating system?**[[image:http://es.tldp.org/Presentaciones/200102uruguay/conf-chamorro/migracion-oficina/linux-logo.gif align="right"]]

I found an [|article] that said how open spurce softwre was booming in India.In the article it says that almost all the schools of the Southern part of the country now uses an open source software and it is often LInux. Cotton Hill Girls High school, a renowned 71 year old school now uses only a linux based operating system. the situation is now such that only a very few people really now what windows is. When a girl was asked what windows is she replied that she never heard of it.(!!) besides that by the end of next year all the schools will have a linux based operating system made mandatory. 18 out of 26 of India's states now uses either Linux or Windows. This is somethig Microsoft must consider as IT specialists predict that by the next few years Linux might overthrow windows.
 * Open soure software for educational purposes: Reference to a scenario in India**