Authentication (information security)
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In information security, the processes of identification, authentication and credentialing are closely linked, authentication being the technologies and procedures used to confirm one's identification to a secure information system. You can think of it as a safeguard against identity theft.
One of the basic ways to think about authentication is that it confirms your purported identity with:
- Something you know (e.g., a password)
- Something you have (e.g., a key (lock) or security token)
- Something you are (e.g., a biometric attribute, or perhaps a confirmed location
These are all factors in authentication, along with your claimed identity. Two-factor authentication, at its most basic, is the combination of user ID and password.