Auditing Information Systems, Second Edition

1.2. OPERATING SYSTEM

Central processing units are usually connected to various peripheral devices that assist in storing, accessing, and transmitting data and also in the production of information output. Examples of peripheral devices include external disk drives, single CD-ROM and CD-RW drives, multiple CD-ROM drives (sometimes called "jukeboxes"), magnetic tape drives, disk packs, printers, routers, bridges, gateways, controllers, visual monitors, keyboards, terminals, and others. These devices are collectively referred to as computer hardware.

Operating systems are programs that are required to make hardware devices function. They are usually loaded into computers during the manufacturing process. Operating systems typically include an assortment of utility programs that assist in the functioning, maintenance, and security of the various hardware devices. The operating system and utilities are collectively referred to as system software. Examples of common operating systems include DOS, Windows, OS/ 2, NetWare, OSX, Unix, VMS, and OS/390.^[] Certain features within the system software can be customized by the purchaser. For example, most sophisticated operating systems possess system access control features that enable the purchaser to adequately protect the system against unauthorized access. Manufacturers usually set the system access control parameters to allow virtually unlimited access during initial installation. This is necessary so that the user performing the initial ...