Authentication is a process for associating a person with an identity in a verified manner. Verification is performed on the basis of a credential: something you know (e.g., a password), something you have (e.g., a hardware token), something you are (e.g., a fingerprint scan), or a combination of these factors.[1][2]
Note that authentication can be leveraged by subjects other than persons, such as software agents.
See Also
- Definition of Credential
- Definition of Identity
References
- The "What do we trust?" section of Trusted Relationships for Access Management: The InCommon Model→.
- Authentication→ from Wikipedia.