StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Primary Goal of the Military - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This essay analyzes that the primary goal of the military is to provide Britain with protection from external threats. In order to achieve this goal, the Department of Defense (DoD) has to deploy systems that not only protect it from external threats but also internal ones…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.9% of users find it useful
The Primary Goal of the Military
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Primary Goal of the Military"

The Primary Goal of the Military The primary goal of the military is to provide Britain with protection from external threats. In order to achieve this goal, the Department of Defense (DoD) has to deploy systems that not only protect it from external threats, but also internal ones. This has been necessitated by the tendency of terror organizations and individuals with ill intent to sabotage security systems internally. As such, it has become crucial for the military to authenticate the identity of every individual accessing its premises and systems [Nat06]. Whereas this has been happening through security tools such as access cards, passwords, and tokens, these systems have proven to be ineffective as they can be forgotten, duplicated, shared, or stolen [Wei99]. There is, therefore, need for a system that cannot be easily compromised. The use of human features, biometrics comes in handy in the identification of individuals while keeping their privacy intact. These features may be physical or biological and may include characteristics such as skin color, height, eye color and weight. These features are unique to individuals and readily available; hence, making them ideal for the development of dependable authentication systems. If used together with traditional systems, such as password protection and fingerprint technology, the result is a security system that is complex, and yet very efficient and hard to manipulate. Role Based Access Control DoD could develop access control systems based on the roles individuals play. This control algorithm allows users access to premises and equipment that are relevant to their activities in the military. The system, therefore, limits the accessibility of information and critical equipment to people who are authorized to interact with them [Fer07]. DoD could decide to develop a system, costs notwithstanding. A lot of resources would be deployed in the project, as long as it guarantees that the role based access control will be possible. Since it would be hard to develop systems that cater for individual staff, DoD can come up with an authentication system based on the roles people play. Staff can be categorized into groups, depending on their ranks and responsibilities in the military and offered access rights relative to their statuses [Lau01]. This would provide officers within the same ranks similar access rights while still providing exceptions for exceptional cases. Enterprise RBAC (ERBAC) DoD spends public funds as it endeavors to provide security to the county. Just like any other public institution, it is necessary for the department to account for its expenses. It is, therefore, necessary for DoD to make sure all its activities make business sense. Enterprise Role Based Access Control seeks to ensure that as DoD invests in role based access control measures, the results of using the system are not only financially measurable, but also provide an acceptable return on investment. Depending on the severity of the case at hand, DoD is at liberty to choose the role based access control methodology it wants to deploy. In sensitive matters of national or international security, DoD could develop authentication systems without considering costs and returns on investment [Bal10]. However, this ought to be done with caution as it is important for DoD to appear to use public resources appropriately and in the best interest of the citizens of the United Kingdom. Alternative solutions i. Discretionary Access Control This access control mechanism restricts access based on subject identity. A subject with access to the resource can share access rights to any other person that joins the group [Jor87]. Access rights can therefore be shared at the discretion of users who already have rights to access the system. When a user leaves the group, any other member who has access rights to the system can delete their profile. In this context, DoD could use this mechanism to provide access to its non-critical systems to its personnel. ii. Mandatory Access Control (MAC) This access control mechanism limits the possibility of a user to carry out some actions on the system. Users are located security attributes; a user cannot access or modify processes which his or her security attributes do not approve. This makes MAC similar to RBAC; the difference comes in the scope of operation. RBAC operates at the role level, whereas MAC operates at the individual level. This approach could be very instrumental to DoD as it would allow the department to determine security clearance levels fmor all system users individually; thereby ensuring that users have access to information that is relevant to them. b) You should provide a critical review of the weaknesses and strengths of PALM biometrics (as published in the public domain). Are there any indicators to suggest that such a non-intrusive contactless authentication mechanism provides higher reliability in that particular context? [25 marks] Hand biometrics have been in use for the longest period among the methods used in biometrics. It includes such characteristics as palm print, palm vein, finger print, and hand geometry [Jai11]. Whereas the other hand biometrics use features in the external section of the hand, palm vein biometrics utilizes the internal alignment and arrangement of veins in the palm, which are unique even among twins [Bio13]. Palm print biometrics recognizes prints made on the surface of the palm. Just like other biometric authentication techniques, palm biometrics has its strengths and weaknesses: Strengths of Palm biometrics i. Palm veins and prints are part of the body and do not change significantly as a person grows. ii. Patterns formed by palms are unique to individuals; hence, eliminating the possibility of having two people with similar prints [Chi03]. iii. Palm veins are hidden inside the human body; hence, it is not easy to manipulate them [Ken13]. iv. The palm is large, hence provides a large surface area over which to cover distinctive features, making it better than fingerprint reading. Weaknesses of Palm biometrics i. The success of the system depends on the quality of pictures taken. Powerful equipment take quality images with distinct features while faulty equipment fail to identify critical features. This can compromise the reliability of the system. ii. Palm print scanners are bulky and expensive, limiting their use to localized positions. The fact that palm biometrics provides a large surface area, enabling the detection of more distinctive characteristics than fingerprints, means that palm biometrics could be be used to identify people in place of fingerprint technology. c) Give a full rational behind the alternatives to biometric templates MoD can use. What are the limitations and risks of template(s) usage in that particular case? Fully discuss their suitability and any inherent dangers or other weaknesses applied. [25 marks] Apart from biometric authentication, DoD could employ the following techniques to protect the integrity of its systems and premises: a) Password protection DoD could develop a system that creates user profiles for all its officers. The officers access the system using passwords that only they would know. The system should be able to distinguish the access rights of all users, and allow them access to areas that are relevant to them only. Advantages i. Passwords are easy to generate and manage Disadvantages i. Passwords can easily be shared, stolen, or intercepted by hackers; hence, making it possible for more than one individual to access the system using similar login information (Wolak, 1998). b) Using the Intranet DoD could opt to deploy its system within its local intranet and deploy security protocols and firewalls to ensure that it cannot be accessed from outside the intranet. This would ensure that any access from without its premises is blocked [Jan10]. Advantages i. It minimizes the number of external threats hence reducing unauthorized access [Goo10]. ii. It does not require a lot of maintenance Disadvantages i. The protocols cannot protect the system from attack within the intranet; hence, necessitating the deployment of other security measures to protect the system from local attacks [Ber10]. ii. The protocols can be expensive to install c) Tokens These are physical items that can be used to authenticate their owners [McG06]. DoD could opt to develop special physical keys or proximity cards to regulate user access. Users would have to produce these at strategic points to be given authority to use or access military information, equipment, or premises [Fer10]. Advantages i. Tokens are easy and cheap to produce Disadvantages i. Their physical nature makes them easy to steal ii. They can easily and cheaply be reproduced iii. They require other security systems like passwords and biometrics in order to function effectively [Gib10]. d) Discuss the optimal means of protection at the end-user level (PC) that Steria can employ as part of the security policy imposed. Critically present your findings and give full arguments on their suitability in that particular scenario. At the end-user (PC) level, the most optimal authentication would be achieved through a marriage of tokens and passwords. The PC should have a card slot where the user inserts his or her proximity card. The system will then identify the user on the card and prompt him or her to enter his or her username and password [Sol10]. The system will compare the username and password the user enters with those in the system without alerting the user of the information contained in the card. The system will authorize access only when the information the user submits is valid [Har10]. Communication amongst PCs should also be conducted over a secure shell (SSH), and cryptographic keys deployed to ensure that the system not only authenticates users, but also validates messages shared and encrypts data on transit[Chr13] [And08]. A combination of these security measures would be necessary at the DoD to ensure that not only authorized users access the system, but also that their activities are authenticated and data transmitted in secure ways. This will help guarantee both authenticity and privacy of information and data at the DoD. Bibliography Nat06: , (National Science and Technology Council Subcommitteen on Biometrics, 2006), Wei99: , (Weicheng Shen, 1999), Fer07: , (Ferraiolo, Kuhn, & Chandramouli, 2007), Lau01: , (Murrell, 2001), Bal10: , (Ballad, Ballad, & Banks, 2010), Jor87: , (Jordan, 1987), Jai11: , (Jain, Ross, & Nandakumar, 2011), Bio13: , (Biometric Newsportal), Chi03: , (Chirillo & Blaul, 2003), Ken13: , (Kenneth Wong), Jan10: , (Jang, 2010), Goo10: , (Goodrich & Tamassia, 2010), Ber10: , (Bertino & Takahashi, 2010), McG06: , (McGraw, 2006), Fer10: , (Ferguson, Scheneier, & Kohno, 2010), Gib10: , (Gibson, 2010), Sol10: , (Solomon, 2010), Har10: , (Hardwood, Goncalves, & Pemble, 2010), Chr13: , (Mallow), And08: , (Anderson, 2008), Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Primary Goal of the Military Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words”, n.d.)
The Primary Goal of the Military Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1472303-biometric-authentication
(The Primary Goal of the Military Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words)
The Primary Goal of the Military Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words. https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1472303-biometric-authentication.
“The Primary Goal of the Military Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1472303-biometric-authentication.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Primary Goal of the Military

Terrorism: AL-Shabaab

First of all, the origin of the jihadist group, named as Al-Shabaab, is indebted to the military aims of political Islam in Somalia.... To be specific, Al-Shabaab originated as a military subsidiary of the Islamic Courts Union or ICU.... To be specific, the unexpected origin of religious fundamentalism within Somalia and its spread prove that terrorist groups make use of… Thesis statement: The case study on Al-Shabaab proves that its origin is related to the weaknesses of Somali government, its internal structure is not different from other jihadist groups (religious d political fractions), motivation is based upon global jihad, its goals are based on political and religious supremacy of Islam, threat is related to the rapid spread of religious fundamentalism and terrorism, and anti-terrorism policies can save Somalia from the negative influence of this terrorist organization....
10 Pages (2500 words) Research Paper

Resilience and Spirituality in the Military

Given the above considerations, this paper specifically asserts that effective resilience requires military resilience and spirituality.... I'm doing major revisions on it.... I will inform you once the finalized paper has been uploaded.... I will upload it asap.... Kindly ignore the ‘completed status' of your order, I will bring it back to status ‘in progress'… =) Being resilient is both an art and a science....
13 Pages (3250 words) Research Paper

Al-Qaidas Goal In 9/11 And Its Accomplishment

??2 Writer Mortada Radwan says the first goal of the Al-Qaeda was to “awake” Americans by dealing a major blow on American soil, followed by engaging the United States in battle as the second goal.... A series of hands-on military and resources acquisition activities, recuperating with other minor jihadi revolts, proclaiming an Islamic state, and entering into a full-blown war were the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth goals respectively....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Support for Existing Military Homosexual Policy

In conjunction, this policy further prevents undue discrimination against homosexuals in the military by providing a legal policy that prevents other servicemen from inquiring about suspected homosexual activities.... Though there are substantial volumes of critics who chastise this policy for a variety of reasons, there is ample evidence that suggests that this policy is beneficial to all military parties, including the homosexual officers, their fellow service members, and the military organizations through which they are actively involved....
8 Pages (2000 words) Case Study

Military Leadership

This report "Military Leadership" discusses military leadership that involves understanding all other structures and units of the military.... It is the primary objective of a military leader to guide others to achieve the purpose and vision of the military operations through motivation and giving directions.... Since the military leader is the prime mentor to all the subordinates, his understanding, loyalty, and exercise of the military code of conduct will be reflected upon the subordinates....
5 Pages (1250 words) Report

Biometric Authentication

This control algorithm allows users access to premises and equipment that are relevant to their activities in the military.... Staff can be categorized into groups, depending on their ranks and responsibilities in the military, and offered access rights relative to their statuses (Murrell, 2001)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment

Prioritization of Hard Power in Counterterrorism

Indeed, military force has been the most successful strategy where diplomacy and soft power have failed, especially where the force is directed at the top leadership.... Whereas counterterrorism efforts achieve the former through use of military and economic threats or reward, the latter involves the co-opting of terrorist actors to share similar values to those of the counterterrorism players (Lum & Kennedy, 2012: p6)....
13 Pages (3250 words) Coursework

Different Perspectives in Security

Thus, developing security systems comprised primarily by the military and the law enforcers are the primary goal of a country in order to maintain its security as well as maintain social order.... It is apparent that this individual security concern does not support the overall goal of the transitional government to defend the nation-state from internal and external security threats mostly from rebellion and attacks from other countries, particularly Indonesia....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us