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GAZETTE
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991
being signed. This system does
have great advantages in a network
system where someone may
occasionally perhaps in an emer-
gency, require access to an area
where they have not been for a long
time.
The packages described can
monitor illegal attempts at gaining
access, and can shut the terminal or
computer down if the correct pass-
word has not been entered after a
certain number of attempts. Having
an audit control is the vital element
in all these data security systems.
This is a record that only the system
manager can see, and shows who
used what, when, and what was
done when they were there.
Protection is also available, and
needed, for electronic mail. Fre-
quently confidential memos are left
in mailboxes for days, and are easily
accessible.
Again, when deleting documents
it should be remembered that on
some systems the file itself is not
erased, only its entry in the
directory is. If that file is over-
written it can be accessed by a
number of utilities that can recover
it.
Apparently this is how a number
of insider dealings were detected;
the data on their computers had
not been erased. It is also believed
that Colonel Oliver North met his
downfall at the hands of the FBI in
the same way. In this country a
certain tax defaulter is rumoured to
have been nabbed by a Revenue
Sheriff as a result of using a
password wh i ch the Sheriff
guessed correctly. A password has
to be remembered by the user and
usually the user will pick a word
which he can easily remember e.g.
his wife's christian name, or his
dog's name etc. The use of
passwords for security Is now
almost redundant for external
access to mainframes or networks.
All a hacker has to do is use the
Oxford English Dictionary which
is available on disk, and set up a
program to run through every word
in it. It apparently takes three
days!
The simplest method of pro-
tection against hacking is to instal
a dial-back system. This means
that once an attempt is made to
connect into the system an
automatic device checks the
operator's security clearance and
then dials them back. This serves
two purposes; it establishes the
identity of the caller and also where
the call was made. If it has been
made by the authorised person,
such as the engineer/mechanic,
access will be given.
Finally every firm of solicitors
who has data relating to clients
stored on disk has an obligation to
take reasonable precautions to
protect that data. What must be
understood is that unsecured data
is like an unlocked filing cabinet
with a photocopier switched on
beside it.
•
'Royal College of
f
Surgeons in Ireland
AREYOUTHINKINGOFMAKINGAWILL,
COVENANT, LEGACYORDONATION?
Please consider the
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN IRELAND
The R.C.S.I. was founded in 1784. It conducts an
International Undergraduate Medical School for the training
and education of Doctors. It also has responsibility for the
further education of Surgeons, Radiologists, Anaesthetists,
Dentists and Nurses. Many of its students come from Third
World Countries, and they return to work there on completion
of their studies.
Medical Research is also an important element of the College's
activities. Cancer, Thromboses, Blindness, Blood Pressure,
Mental Handicap and Birth Defects are just some of the human
ailments which are presently the subject of detailed research.
The College is an independent and pnvate institution which is
financed largely through gifts, donations, and endowments.
Your assistance would be very much appreciated, and would
help to keep the College and Ireland in the forefront of Medical
Research and Education.
For tax purposes, the R.C.S.I. is regarded by the Revenue
Commissioners as a Chanty. Therefore, gifts and donations
may qualify the donors for tax relief.
For further information about the College's activities, please
contact:
The Registrar, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland,
St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.
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During 1990 the Irish Kidney Association's Donor
Awareness Programme helped 200 people suffering
Kidney, Heart and Liver failure to receive a second
chance for life.
The Irish Kidney Association could not carry this life-
saving work without the help of informed caring members
of the community - such as the legal profession.
Finance received through bequests/donations has
enabled not only educational and research programmes
but also the purchase of life-saving equipment for
hospitals nationwide.
The Irish Kidney Association is proud of its record of
treating people from all walks of life and from all parts of
the country as equal beneficiaries of its services.
IRISH KIDNEY ASSOCIATION
Donor House, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Ph: 01-689788/9
Fax:01-683820
Registered in Ireland, No: 66109
Chy No: 6327
7