Inside Java™ 2 Platform Security: Architecture, API Design, and Implementation, Second Edition

1.2. Threats and Protection

In computer security literature, threats or attacks are usually classified into three categories.

1. Secrecy attacks. The attacker attempts to steal confidential information, such as passwords, medical records, electronic mail (e-mail) logs, and payroll data. The methods of attack vary, from bribing a security guard to exploiting a security hole in the system or a weakness in a cryptographic algorithm.

2. Integrity attacks. The attacker attempts to alter parts of the system illegally. For example, a bank employee modifies the deposit system to transfer customer money into his own account, thus compromising transaction integrity [96]. Or, a college student breaks into the college administration system to raise her examination ...