Learning Resource

Authentication

The main goals of IT security are confidentiality, integrity, availability, nonrepudiation, and authentication.

Authentication involves confirming a user's identity. Authentication, a form of access control, requires users to confirm their identity before they gain access to a system. For example, a job candidate provides personal information to the employer supported by proof of identity such as a driver's license, birth certificate, or passport. Many organizations run background checks on candidates to validate their credentials. If the proof of ID and the background check prove satisfactory, the company can hire the candidate and feel safe in creating internal authentication mechanisms such as a logon ID and password.