Using security
Steven Furnell · Computer Fraud & Security · 2004
Security functionality is now an increasingly standard feature within modern software, with related options available within operating systems and server platforms, as well as within many end-user applications. As a result, users at all levels have the potential to come into contact with security facilities, and the option to use them to protect their systems. However, if protection is to be applied effectively, then a fairly obvious requirement is for users to understand how to use the tools at their disposal. So, if a security package, or related features within other software, is poorly designed then even the most accomplished users will find it difficult to use. A recent project within the author's research group conducted a survey amongst 160 system administrators, to determine the ways in which they made use of security tools. Even here, amongst a technical audience, the results suggested that usability was a significant problem, with more than half of the respondents having faced problems installing a security tool, and 71% experiencing subsequent difficulties when trying to configure one.1