Authentication is the first step at entry level for ensuring security and it is required for managing user identification and providing access control for seamless operational experience in a secure manner. Individual authentications are not only restricted to passwords and usernames. Single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), provisioning and adaptive authentication are various techniques used for standard authentication.
In today’s topic we will learn about authentication, why it is required, how authentication works and major authentication types.
What is Authentication?
Authentication is the process of identifying users which request system access, network, servers, applications, websites and devices etc. the main goal of authentication is to ensure the user who is asking access his identity is verified one and legit user is only asking access. Unauthorized users are prohibited to get inside the system and gain access to sensitive information or data. Authentication improvises the security and allows only organization administrators to manage user identity and its access permissions. The authentication is used for access control verification using username and password along with other identification tools.
Why is user Authentication Important?
- Authentication verifies and validates an individual identity who is trying to access systems, applications and resources.
- Authentication is required to ensure only legit users who they claim to be are granted access on systems, applications and devices as per their authenticated identity. This ensures that unauthorized users cannot get into the system illegally and gain access to critical resources.
- It is a fundamental security mechanism for protection of sensitive information, unauthorized access prevention, and integrity maintenance and data confidentiality.
- It is crucial to establish trust, mitigation of security risks, and safeguarding user accounts and resources to prevent malicious activities and unauthorized usage.
Related: 8 Common Web Application Vulnerabilities
Authentication Types
Authentication types can be classified into 4 major categories:
Password Based Authentication
Password-based authentication is the most widely used type of authentication mechanism. It is a composition of alphabets, numbers, string of special characters which are supposed to be known to the authentic person who is getting authenticated. The simplest technique is clear text technique wherein the user id and password are provided to the user.
The user changes the password periodically for its security and is stored in a database against user ID. During authentication application prompts for user ID and password. The authentication happens at the backend with the server for this particular user and success and failure is based on the result.
Certificate Based Authentication
The digital certificate is the next level of security, it has a key, owner and digital signature of a third-party entity which verifies the digital certificate. Based on certificate validity, the software verifies the certificate trusting the issuer and a key is used to communicate securely. The certificates are provided by certificate authority such as VeriSign, Geotrust, and DigiCert. The public key certificates defined by X.509 which act as trust documents.
Biometric Authentication
It is one of the most popular authentication mechanisms nowadays. We are using biometric authentication at several places such as unlocking phone, face recognition in the office attendance system. User samples such as fingerprint, face, retina scan, voice etc. are stored in the user database and at the time of authentication the user provides a sample of its biometric information similar to what was given at the time of creation.
This information is sent in an encrypted session to the server. At the server end the user’s latest sample is decrypted and matched with a sample stored on the server. If both matches then the user will be considered valid.
Token Based Authentication
Alternatives to password are token asked authentication. It is a small device or application which generates a random value for a short span of time. This randomized value is used for authentication. The hardware devices could be key chains, calculators or credit cards. Authentication token has features such as battery, liquid crystal displays, processor, a small keyboard to provide information. Real time clock could be there as optional feature.
The pre programmed authentication token has a unique number called seed which ensures every random value generated by authenticator is unique. Such token-based authentications are of two types – challenge/response tokens where seed is secret and unique. In time-based token server needs to send random challenge to user, time is a variable input here in place of random challenge during authentication.
Comparison
Below table highlights the major points of differences between Password-based Authentication, Certificate-based Authentication, Biometric Authentication, and Token-based Authentication:
| Feature | Password-based Authentication | Certificate-based Authentication | Biometric Authentication | Token-based Authentication |
| Definition | Uses a secret word or phrase known only to the user. | Uses digital certificates issued by a Certificate Authority (CA). | Uses unique biological characteristics of the user. | Uses physical or software tokens to generate a one-time password (OTP). |
| Authentication Factor | Something you know | Something you have | Something you are | Something you have |
| Common Use Cases | Online accounts, applications, systems | Secure communications, email encryption, VPN access | Access control systems, mobile devices, secure facilities | Online banking, two-factor authentication, secure systems |
| Security Level | Moderate | High | High | High |
| Ease of Use | Relatively easy | Moderate (requires certificate management) | Easy (after initial setup) | Moderate (requires possession of token) |
| Vulnerability | Susceptible to phishing, brute-force attacks, and password reuse | Susceptible to theft or loss of the certificate, certificate spoofing | Susceptible to spoofing or sensor hacking (though difficult) | Susceptible to theft or loss of the token, man-in-the-middle attacks |
| Implementation Cost | Low | High (requires infrastructure for PKI) | High (requires biometric hardware) | Moderate (cost of tokens and management) |
| Scalability | High | High | Moderate (depends on biometric hardware) | High |
| Revocability | Easy to change/reset | Moderate (requires revoking and reissuing certificates) | Difficult (biometric traits cannot be changed) | Easy to deactivate and replace tokens |
| User Experience | Users must remember passwords | Users must manage and store certificates | Users simply present biometric data | Users must carry and use a token |
| Example Technologies | Password managers, standard login forms | SSL/TLS certificates, smart cards | Fingerprint scanners, facial recognition systems | Hardware tokens, mobile authentication apps |
Download:Comparison of Authentication Types Table
