Authentication

Authentication is the process of determining whether someone or something is who or what they say they are. Authentication technology provides access control for systems by checking to see if a user’s credentials match the credentials in a database of authorised users or a data authentication server.

• Asking users for something they know. For example: password, passphrase.
• Checking that users have access to something they own. For example: an email address, a phone number, a hardware key, recovery codes.
• Confirming that users have some biological features. For example: a fingerprint, a certain facial structure, an iris print.