Authentication (Dictionary Entry)

Quotes

A process that provides assurance of the source and integrity of information in communications sessions, messages, documents or stored data or that provides assurance of the identity of an entity interacting with a system.

Identity establishment is concerned with the methods by which a user, a running process, or a thread of execution is securely associated with a legitimate entity. Recall that an entity may represent a single user, a group of users, an entire organization, a host system, or some networking device. Establishing an identity is the means of concluding that indeed the identity in use corresponds to the entity that it claims to be and thus is said to be authentic. Authentication is the secure identification of entities in which a proof of possessing an identity is verified.

Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user or system (e.g., Lightweight Directory Access Protocol [LDAP] verifying the credentials presented by the user, where the identifier is the corporate user ID that is unique and assigned to an employee or contractor). Authentication usually connotes a more robust form of identification. In some use cases, such as service-to-service interaction, authentication involves verifying the network service requesting access to information served by another service (e.g., a travel web service that is connecting to a credit card gateway to verify the credit card on behalf of the user).

The process of proving that a person is who they claim to be. Digital authentication generally involves a person electronically presenting one or more “factors” or “authenticators” to “assert” their identity — that is, to prove that they are the same person to whom the identity or credential was originally issued. These factors can include something a person is (e.g., their fingerprints), knows (e.g., a password or PIN), has (e.g., an ID card, token, or mobile SIM card), or does (e.g., their handwriting, keystrokes, or gestures).

Authenticate

To verify the identity of a person (or other agent external to the protection system) making a request.

Bibliography

• Barker, 2020

• Benantar, 2006

• Mather et al., 2009

• Saltzer and Schroeder, 1975

• World Bank Group and GPFI, 2018

See Also