To ensure data security, you need to identify who is accessing your layers and your services. When securing your data, the first step is disabling anonymous access.
Security in GeoServer is based on a role system where each role defines a specific set of functions. You can assign roles to users and groups; that is, assign functions to real people using your system.
To organize your real users, GeoServer provides you with the user, group, and role concepts. With the first two, you can insert real people into the GeoServer security subsystem and, with roles, you can grant rights to real users.
In GeoServer, a user is someone entitled to use the system; it may be another software or a real person. When you add a user to the security system, GeoServer stores a username, uniquely identifying the user, a password, and a set of key/value pairs to store general information about it. You can disable a user at any time, preventing him from using the system...