OS Permissions and User Management

• Maintaining simplicity of use sometimes means not exploring all possible interactions via CLI (Command Line Interface).

Permissions

• A primary function of an Operating System (OS) involves only granting access to information to authorized users
• Security permeates all OSs. Before any action, you must verify if the user/system requesting it is authorized or has permission
• User management is an important and necessary aspect of permission management
• Users are managed via simple records containing at minimum login and password, potentially including additional data
• Users can be organized into groups in various configurations, not necessarily hierarchical
• Users and groups are linked to files, folders, systems, and programs through tables that indicate access rights
• Access can include reading, writing, executing, and modifying permissions indicating the complexities of OS security management
• The increasing complexity and diversification of permissions for software and documents have driven the need for clear and effective OS security management
• Security criteria must extend across multiple homogeneous systems in companies
• Instead of being a function of just one OS, it is a common management task across multiple OSs that can communicate with each other

Distributed Permission Management

• Distributed permission managers have been introduced in recent years, Active Directory by Microsoft is a popular one
• Active Directory centralizes user management (including credentials) in one or more servers
• It defines security logics with policies replicated across corporate devices
• Both PCs, servers, and file servers can implement permissions using management systems
• The user management system does not manage users, it requests access to resources to the operating system, to confirm if the user has permissions
• User management is simplified and security is enhanced this way
• Management often stays complex; misconfigurations lead to many security violations and cost companies significant sums annually
• Properly configuring these systems and security systems is becoming a well-compensated skill in computers