.NET Framework Security

A Review of User-Identity–Based Security

The computer security systems you will most likely be familiar with are based on user identity. This means that authentication takes place for particular user identities; authorization then maps user credentials to specific resource access rights based on the user credentials gleaned from authentication. Finally, the enforcement system protects resources on a per-user basis. One of the most obvious examples for such a security system is the Windows security system.

When you log on to your Windows NT, 2000, or XP machine, you are authenticating yourself to Windows. Windows asks you to prove that you are the user you claim, typically by requiring you to type in a password.

After your user identity has been ...