Concept - Means of Authentication
Four means of authenticating a user’s identity (s.5), based on something the individual:
| Means | Slide examples |
|---|---|
| knows | password, PIN |
| possesses | key, token, smartcard |
| is (static biometrics) | fingerprint, retina |
| does (dynamic biometrics) | voice, signature |
- Can be used alone or combined; all can provide user authentication; all have issues (s.5).
- Combining them is multifactor authentication, named as a countermeasure to eavesdropping (s.30).
Related: Concept - Password Vulnerabilities and Countermeasures, Concept - Memory Card and Smartcard, Concept - Biometric Authentication, Concept - User Authentication. Appears in 03 User Authentication - Chunk 01 (s.1-33).