Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying one's identity. That process is commonly paired with identification, which is the process of indicating one's identity. For instance, the process of issuing one's passport is an act of identification, while the process of verification of one's passport at a checkpoint is an act of authentication is the process of verifying that identity.
When a system user provides the system with his or her username, the system requests its database whether that user is identified in this system and, if so, with what password, and authenticate that user based on whether the password matches the one in the database. Both authentication and authorization are parts of identity and access management (IAM).
Definitions
According to the CyBOK (version 1),
- Authentication. Verifying a claimed attribute value.
- Authentication. The process of verifying the identity of an individual or entity.
