Networked information discovery and retrieval tools: security capabilities and needs

The Internet is a rapidly growing global network of networks. Users employ the Internet to search for and retrieve information, access remote resources, and collaborate with other users. More and more information is becoming available on the Internet. Networked information discovery and retrieval (NIDR) tools, such as Gopher, Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) and World Wide Web (WWW), have been developed to assist users with searching and retrieving a wide variety of information on the Internet. NIDR tools are becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of use and powerful navigation and “surfing” capabilities. Security is becoming an increasingly important topic regarding the use of NIDR tools. This paper identifies current and planned NIDR security capabilities and provides security recommendations for administrators and commercial NIDR providers