Checklist for Contributing to System Security

Although security features are implemented by the security administrator as requirements for all users, this chapter has described ways in which you can contribute to system security. The following list reviews voluntary security actions:

Choose a secure password by following the guidelines in “Choosing a Password for Your Account”.
Protect your password, and change it often.
Check your last login messages each time you log in, and report any unexplained messages to your security administrator (“Reading Informational Messages”).
Use proxy logins when possible (“Types of Logins and Login Classes”).
Log out and lock up when you leave your terminal and area (“Logging Out Without Compromising System Security”).
Use the /HANGUP qualifier with your final LOGOUT command from a dialup line (“Breaking the Connection to a Dialup Line”).
Properly dispose of hardcopy output from your terminal (“Disposing of Hardcopy Output”).
Clear your screen, or turn off your video terminal to erase revealing displays (“Using Generated Passwords” and “Clearing Your Terminal Screen”).
Lock up backup media. Anyone who has the media in hand can access the information that is stored on the tape or disk.
Ask your security administrator to enable security auditing for any protected objects, such as files, that you suspect have been accessed improperly (“Auditing File Access”).