Security in a FactoryTalk system

FactoryTalk Security
 improves the security of an automation system by limiting access to users with a legitimate need. Security in
FactoryTalk
 is accomplished through authentication and authorization. Security services are managed separately in the
FactoryTalk
 local directory and the
FactoryTalk
 network directory.
Authentication
FactoryTalk
 authenticates the user's identities to access a
FactoryTalk
 system against a defined set of user accounts held in the
FactoryTalk Directory
.
FactoryTalk
 verifies a user’s identity and that a request for service actually originates with that user.
Authorization
FactoryTalk
 authorizes user requests to access resources in a
FactoryTalk
 system against a set of defined access permissions held in the
FactoryTalk Directory
.
Securing resources
FactoryTalk Security
 addresses both authentication and authorization concerns by helping define the answer to this question:
"Who
can carry out what
actions
upon which
secured resources
from which
locations?"
  • Who
    —refers to users and groups of users. Different users need different access rights.
  • Actions
    —refers to the operations to perform on a resource, such as read, write, update, download, create, delete, edit, insert, and so on.
  • Secured resources
    —refers to the objects for which actions are secured. Each
    FactoryTalk
     product defines its own set of resources. For example, some products might allow configuring security on resources in an area, while others might allow configuring security for logic controllers and other devices.
  • Locations
    —refers to the location of the authorized computers. For example, allowing values to be downloaded to a controller only from workstations that are located within a clear line of sight to the plant floor machinery to adhere to safety requirements.
The principle of inheritance determines how access permissions are set. For example, when assigning security to an area in an application, all of the items in the area inherit the security settings of the area. Override this behavior by setting up security for one or more of the individual objects inside the area as well.
When a user attempts to log on to a
FactoryTalk
 system,
FactoryTalk Security
 verifies the user's identity. If the user is authenticated,
FactoryTalk Security
 continues to check the user's level of access to the system, to authorize the actions the user performs on secured resources.
System-wide policies
dictate some security settings. For example, setting up a policy that requires users to change their passwords once every 90 days.
Know more about the tips when setting up the
FactoryTalk
 system to achieve efficient management of user authentication and authorization from Best practices.
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