Authentication is the process of verifying that a user, device or application is who it claims to be. It often involves the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA methods are a must-have in today’s cybersecurity world, as they help keep unauthorized people out of sensitive systems and data. MFA typically includes a combination of factors, including passwords, one-time codes and biometrics like fingerprint scans.
1. Verify Identity
Authentication methods verify identity by ensuring that the person or system trying to access a computing system is who they claim to be. They work in conjunction with authorization systems to determine what the user is permitted to do, based on role or permissions.
Most authentication methods involve submitting data for storage and verification that the information submitted is valid. These include database methods like username and password, as well as credentials derived from a device or software tokens. Those methods are typically easy to use and offer high success rates, but they are also easy to impersonate.
Biometric authentication, a more secure type of ID verification, examines the physical characteristics of a person to confirm identity. It uses technologies like fingerprint scanners, facial recognition, and eye scans to compare a real-time reading with data stored in a database. These are more difficult for hackers to steal or hack and are often used as a second layer of security after Aka.ms/mfasetup.
2. Verify Access
While identification and authentication may seem like the same thing, there’s a key difference: identification is about figuring out who someone is, whereas authentication is about verifying that person’s identity. This includes using methods such as username and passwords, biometric data, and even phone or text confirmations.
Authentication helps to protect sensitive information from cyberattacks. This is especially true if a network uses strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, and regularly reviews and updates its strategies to stay ahead of cybercriminals.
Authentication can also verify a user’s access to systems and applications on a network. This is achieved through using authentication protocols such as Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication, Provisioning, and Adaptive Authentication tools. These help to ensure that only authorized users can access important data and systems. And that they do so at the right time and place. This prevents people from sharing login credentials with others, and reduces the chance of unauthorized access to sensitive information.
3. Enable Access Control
In today’s security climate, user authentication and access control go hand in hand. Authentication methods like single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication, provisioning, and adaptive authentication all help improve security by adding additional layers to the process.
Authentication is what confirms that a person or system is who they say they are, whereas authorization determines what tasks and files they can access based on rules set for the specific type of user. This distinction is important because although they are linked, they are not interchangeable.
Possession factors such as a password or PIN code, a token or USB stick, a card, or an authorized device; knowledge factors including a unique username and password; and biologically based factors such as a fingerprint, retina, or iris scan, and behavioral processes including typing dynamics, voiceprints, and pattern recognition. All of these types are used in varying combinations to make sure that the person or system is who they claim to be, and that they have proper access to information and systems.
4. Protect Data
As a result of authentication, only the right users can access sensitive data and systems. This helps businesses maintain a high level of cybersecurity and prevents data breaches that threaten business profitability, brand reputation, and customer safety.
Authentication methods verify user identity through credentials like usernames and passwords, biometrics, and mobile apps that confirm the user’s identity by scanning facial recognition or fingerprints. This ensures that the person who entered the username is indeed the owner of that username and not a nefarious hacker.
Other authentication technologies are more sophisticated, requiring physical objects that the user must possess or carry with them. These might include dongles or smart cards with radio frequency identification or near-field communication chips. Token-based authentication allows users to log in once with their credentials and then use tokens to gain access to different applications, avoiding the need to enter their passwords again. However, this can also increase security risks if the tokens fall into the wrong hands or if an employee’s employment terminates before they relinquish their token.
