session: security concerns, issues and setup (or the good, the bad and the ugly) panelist: mike...

Session: Security Concerns, Issues and Setup (or the Good, the Bad and the Ugly)

Panelist: Mike Neely, City of Pasadena

Date: Wednesday October 3, 2001

October 2001 Tidemark User's Conference

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TIDEMARK SECURITYConcerns, Issues and Setup;..with restricted and view only fieldsTHE

GOOD

THE BAD& THE

UGLY

-or-


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

Should you be here?If you:

•Have set up security at your organization using Restricted Field and View Only tables,•Are happy with your current Tidemark security set up, or•Have no security installed, but don’t feel you need it..Then you probably don’t need to be here.


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

What is it?

For the purpose of this session security is the restriction or limiting of the users ability to perform functions (view, add, edit or delete) on the Tidemark system.


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

What is it?

For the purpose of this session security is the restriction or limiting of the users ability to perform functions (view, add, edit or delete) on the Tidemark system.

This includes:•Activities•Fees•Case information•Parcel information•People information•Valuation information


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

What will we cover?

This session will explore:•The initial stages of implementing Tidemark security.

•Assignment of access levels.

•The use of Restricted Field and View Privilege tables.

•The Activity Department table (–vs- Activity User) table.

•…and a group discussion following the presentation.


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TIDEMARK SECURITYTHE GOOD:•Security aids in automating your

business/ government rules.•Security can impact data quality.

-Increases reporting validity.-Saves YOU time.

•Can avert potential disasters.

Why use it?


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TIDEMARK SECURITYTHE GOOD: Why use it?•For auditing purposes.

-Almost all government agencies are required to submit to audits.-Provides accountability

•For legal purposes.-Information from Tidemark is sometimes used as evidence; eg. code violations, etc.-Information will be scrutinized.


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TIDEMARK SECURITYTHE GOOD:•Can authorize/prevent users’ ability to

add, edit and delete certain functions on cases.

•Can restrict users from viewing/editing specific fields on case screens.

•Can provide varying security levels between casetypes……….(see UGLY).

Capabilities


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TIDEMARK SECURITYTHE BAD:

•Does not provide case-level security. (But didn’t I just say….)•If a user can add/delete an activity or fee for one type of case, he/she can do the same for any case (and probably much more…)•Requires a lot of effort and hours to create and maintain a reasonably thorough system.

Incapabilities


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

•Gather ALL users, departments or reps. who will be using the system.

•Group them into logical units (depts., positions, etc.)

THE GOOD: Department/Division Group Name

Fire Inspectors, ReviewersHealth Inspectors, ReviewersHousing & Development Plan ReviewersP & P / Administration All staffP & P / Arts(Cultural Planning) All staffP & P / Building InspectorsP & P / Building Plan ReviewersP & P / Building Processing staffP & P / Building Supervisors

Preparing for setup


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TIDEMARK SECURITYTHE GOOD: Preparing for setup

•Discussion:

“What do you need to be able to do on the system (or, what do you do)?”


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

The Good:

Determine what types of data to secure:

Preparing for setup

For instance, Pasadena was concerned with:•Case screen information•Case activity information•Parcel data•People data•Fee data•Valuation data


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

The Good:

It is useful to create a matrix similar to this:Department/Division Code Group Name ADD ART BLD BMNFire FIRE Inspectors, Reviewers plck AE

insp AEplck AE insp AE

Health HLTH Inspectors, Reviewers plck AE insp AE

Housing & Development H&DV Plan Reviewers plck AEP & P / Administration PPAD All staffP & P / Arts(Cultural Planning)

PPAR All staff AED insp AE arts AE

P & P / Building PPBI Inspectors insp AE insp AEP & P / Building PPBP Plan Reviewers plck AE plck AEP & P / Building PPBC Processing staff AED AE AEP & P / Building PPBS Supervisors AED AED AEDP & P / Code Compliance PPCC Clerical staff plck AE

insp AEplck AE insp AE

Recommendation:


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

The Good:

The Access Level table:•All functions are assigned to a level•Initially, all levels set to 30JOB #1:Assign all functions to varying access levels based on the organizational authority required for the task

Beginning the setup


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

The Good: Assigning Levels to Roles

Department/Division Group Name Code Level

Fire Inspectors, Reviewers FIRE 49Health Inspectors, Reviewers HLTH 49Housing & Development Plan Reviewers H&DV 39P & P / Adminstration All staff PPAD 24P & P / Planning Supervisors PPPS 69Police Field Officers PDPT 39Public Works Inspectors, Reviewers PW&T 39Water & Power Plan Reviewers W&P 39System Maintenance Tech Team SYSM 95System Administrator Manager SYSA 99


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

What have you done at this point?

•Identified and ranked functions performed by your organization.

•Grouped users according to their functions and authority/level of importance.

The Good: What you’ve done already


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

How does this help me?

•You already have a functional level of security.

•Have a good understanding of the who, how when and why of organization’s activities.

THE GOOD: What you’ve done already

•Your system now reflects more of your business rules.


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•As it stands, no case-level security.

•If you can add/edit/delete on one casetype, you can do it to all types.

•This holds true for case screen information and case activity information.

What you haven’t done


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•You have probably given users authority to do more than they need to / you want them to.

•You’re relying on “ignorance security”

•What they don’t know, they won’t try…

What this means


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•If you really want to provide some degree of case-specific security, it can be done.

•How?

Case-Level Security?


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1. Forward your phone to voicemail.2. ‘Unvolunteer’ from any committees

you’re on.3. Lock your door, or seal yourself in your

cubicle with additional walls.4. Inform your family you’ll miss dinner for

the next, oh month or so.5. Open Tidemark Utilities and go to…

Are you sure????


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

THE UGLY:

Restricted field and View privilege Tables


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

THE UGLY:

Restricted field and View privilege TablesWhat are

they?•Allow you to prevent the viewing and editing of fields on any screen.•Allow you to give combinations of permissions to users in different departments/groups.•Allow you to create a certain degree of case-specific security levels in Tidemark.


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TIDEMARK SECURITYTHE UGLY:

Restricted field table

How it works:

•Any field on any case screen can be blocked to any user.

•Once restricted to certain users, the field becomes blank all others.


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What’s so hard?

•Entries in the Restricted Field Table actually give permissions.

•By placing placing a field/department combination in the table just once, it becomes restricted to everyone else until you make a similar entry using their group.


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What does this mean? Table Name Field Name Department

case_add add_assign_addr P&P BLDG PLAN RVWcase_add add_assign_mail P&P BLDG PLAN RVWcase_add add_change_addr P&P BLDG PLAN RVWcase_add add_assign_addr SYSTEM MAINTENANCEcase_add csm_caseno P&P BLDG PLAN RVWcase_add add_assign_mail SYSTEM MAINTENANCEcase_add csm_caseno SYSTEM MAINTENANCEcase_add add_change_addr SYSTEM MAINTENANCEcase_add add_assign_addr SYSTEM ADMINISTRATRcase_add add_assign_mail SYSTEM ADMINISTRATRcase_add add_change_addr SYSTEM ADMINISTRATRcase_add add_assign_addr P&P/BLDG PROCESSINGcase_add csm_caseno SYSTEM ADMINISTRATRcase_add add_assign_mail P&P/BLDG PROCESSINGcase_add csm_caseno P&P/BLDG PROCESSING

Hours…

& Hours…

& Hours…

& Hours…& Hours…

& Hours…

& Hours…& Hours…


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Good side, Bad side

Good news: Bad news:

•You’ve restricted access to ‘important’ fields to only those who need them.

•You’ve already completed 10,000 entries or more!

•You probably want others to be able to see the info that’s been restricted.

•You haven’t yet secured activities.

•You have, oh, 15,000 more entries to go….


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View privilege table

What does it do?

•Restricted fields are blank.

•To make the field view-only, it must be added to the View Privilege Table.


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View privilege table

What does it do?

•Restricted fields are blank.

•To make the field view-only, it must be added to the View Privilege Table.

Again, this means:

•Entering the field / department combos

Table Name Field Name Departmentcase_extended csm_caseno P&P/BLDG PROCESSINGcase_extended csm_caseno P&P BLDG PLAN RVWcase_extended csm_caseno P&P/BLDG SUPERVISORcase_extended csm_caseno SYSTEM ADMINISTRATRcase_extended csm_caseno SYSTEM MAINTENANCEcase_extended csm_extension P&P/BLDG PROCESSINGcase_extended csm_extension P&P BLDG PLAN RVWcase_extended csm_extension P&P/BLDG SUPERVISORcase_extended csm_extension SYSTEM ADMINISTRATRcase_extended csm_extension SYSTEM MAINTENANCEcase_extended csm_sqft_est P&P/BLDG PROCESSINGcase_extended csm_sqft_est P&P BLDG PLAN RVWcase_extended csm_sqft_est P&P/BLDG SUPERVISOR

•& creating another 10,000 entries….

•There is a small trick using linked files & MS Access.


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A helpful trick…

Try a linked table in MSAccess

By linking to the restricted / view tables, you can use Microsoft’s copy command to create new entries… much more efficient!


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Restricting Activities

Activities can be restricted also ..to a degree

•Groups can be prevented from ‘signing-off’ specific activities.

•This is done via the Activity Department or Activity User table.


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Restricting Activities

Activities can be restricted also ..to a degree

•Groups can be prevented from ‘signing-off’ specific activities.

•This is done via the Activity Department Table.

•Like the R.F. and V.P. tables, individual activities must be associated with each group separately.

•Also, once an activity has been placed in the table, it becomes blocked to every group not included.


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You Have: •Added any restrictions

concerning the addition or deletion of fees…

•Those permissions are still based on the access level table.

Good side, Bad side

You Have Not:

•Restricted the signing off of activities based on department or group.

•Why signing off?


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

Summary to this point

By completing these steps, you have:•Established access levels defined by data sensitivity.

•Created role/department-based groups and assigned them specific access levels.

•Restricted viewing and editing specific fields to specific groups or users.

•Restricted signing off of specific activities to specific groups or users.


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TIDEMARK SECURITY


By completing these steps, you have:•Established access levels defined by data sensitivity.

•Created role/department-based groups and assigned them specific access levels.

•Restricted viewing and editing specific fields to specific groups or users.

•Restricted signing off of specific activities to specific groups or users.

You do have a functional level of

security.


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TIDEMARK SECURITY


By completing these steps, you have

not

•Created user-specific access to activities.•Implemented true case-specific security.•Prevented users from adding/deleting cases, activities & fees for casetypes other than their own.•Utilized Security Groups•Prevented database access via other programs


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TIDEMARK SECURITY


By completing these steps, you have

not

•Created user-specific access to tasks.•Implemented true case-specific security.•Prevented users from adding/deleting cases, activities & fees for casetypes other than their own.•Utilized Security Groups•Prevented database access via other programs

Still have to rely upon “ignorance security”.


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TIDEMARK SECURITYDiscussion: Where

do we go from here?

•Has anyone used Security Groups?•Is there a way to allow specific users access to individual tasks (take the Access Level to the next step)?•Can we restrict ability to run sensitive reports?


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TIDEMARK SECURITY

GOOD

LUCK

session: security concerns, issues and setup (or the good, the bad and the ugly) panelist: mike...

Documents

current tidemark security

tidemark system

session security

security aids

users ability

caselevel security

varying security levels

setup slide