- [Narrator] Identification is one of the basic requirements
of any access control system.
Users must have a way to identify themselves
uniquely to a system using technology
that ensures they will not be confused
with any other user of the system.
Let's talk about two common identification mechanisms,
usernames and access cards.
Usernames are by far the most common means
of identification for electronic systems.
Organizations typically provide every individual
who will access their computing systems
with a unique identifier that they use
across all electronic systems.
Commonly usernames take the form
of a first initial and last name
or a similar pattern that makes it easy for those
seeing the username to identify the corresponding person.
Remember, usernames are for identification,
not authentication, so there's no need to keep them secret.
Obvious usernames make everyone's lives easier.
Organizations also commonly use
card-based identification systems.
Many organizations issue employee identification cards
to their entire staff,
and that card often acts as the primary proof of employment.
Some cards also serve as access control devices
for entering buildings or sensitive areas.
They sometimes also provide access to electronic systems.
In these cases identification cards may serve
as both an identification and an authentication tool.
Card-based systems require the use of a reader,
and the reading mechanism varies across card systems.
The most basic card readers use magnetic stripes
similar to the one that appears on the back
of your credit cards.
These magnetic stripes are easily duplicated
with readily available equipment
so they should not be considered secure.
Anyone who gains possession of a magnetic stripe card
or even knows how the card is encoded
can create a copy of that card.
Smart cards take identification card technology
to the next level by making it much more difficult
to forge cards.
Smart cards contain an integrated circuit chip
that works with the card reader to prove
the authenticity of the card.
Some smart cards are read by directly inserting them
into a card reader.
The Department of Defense Common Access Card,
shown here, is one such card.
Chip and pin credit cards use similar technology.
When a user wants to identify to a system,
he or she inserts the smart card into a reader
that interacts with the card's chip.
Contactless smart cards or proximity cards
simply need to be placed near the reader.
An antenna in the card communicates with the reader.
Some of these cards, known as passive cards,
must be placed into or extremely close to the reader
to work properly.
They receive the power from the reader
that energizes the chip so they last indefinitely.
Other proximity cards, known as active cards,
contain batteries and transmitters.
They use these batteries and can then transmit
over longer distances and be read
from several feet away.
Toll transponders use this technology.
The disadvantage to active cards
is that they contain batteries
and must be replaced periodically.
Whichever technology you use,
an identification system must at least satisfy
the basic requirement of uniquely identifying system users.