T 0.30 Unauthorised Use or Administration of Devices and Systems

Without appropriate mechanisms for entry, admission and access control, unauthorised use of devices and systems virtually can neither be prevented nor detected. The basic mechanism IT systems use for this is user identification and authentication. But even in IT systems with a strong identification and authentication mechanisms, unauthorised access is still conceivable, if the corresponding security features (passwords, chip cards, tokens, etc.) fall into the wrong hands. Also, when assigning and maintaining permissions, many mistakes can be made, for example, if authorisations are granted too liberally or given to unauthorised persons, or if they are not regularly updated.

When granted illegal access to devices and systems, unauthorised persons can intercept confidential information, carry out manipulation or cause disruptions.

A particularly prominent special case of unauthorised use is unauthorised administration. If unauthorised persons change the configuration or operating parameters of the hardware or software components, severe damage can be the consequence of such action.

Examples:

• When examining log files, a network administrator came across inexplicable events occurring on different days but often early in the morning and in the afternoon. After a closer examination, it turned out that a wireless router was not configured properly. People waiting at the bus stop outside the office building have used this access to surf with their mobile devices on the Internet while waiting for the bus.