What is authentication and What are feature of authentication?

What is authentication?

Authentication is the process of verifying a user’s identity before granting them access to a system or resource. It’s like checking someone’s ID before letting them into a restricted area. In the digital world, this usually involves checking credentials like passwords, tokens, or other factors.

What is top use cases of authentication?

Top Use Cases of Authentication:

• Securing online accounts: Protecting user data and preventing unauthorized access to email, bank accounts, social media profiles, etc.
• Controlling access to applications and systems: Ensuring only authorized users can access sensitive information or perform specific actions.
• Enabling secure transactions: Verifying users during online payments, money transfers, and other financial activities.
• Protecting networks and devices: Granting access to connected devices and preventing unauthorized access to network resources.

What are feature of authentication?

Key features of authentication typically include:

1. Secure identification: Using unique and confidential credentials, such as usernames or email addresses, along with passwords or cryptographic keys.
2. Authorization management: Determining what level of access rights or permissions an authenticated user should have.
3. Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Enhancing security by requiring multiple forms of authentication, such as biometrics or hardware tokens.
4. Auditing and logging: Keeping track of authentication attempts and activities for monitoring and analysis purposes.

What is the workflow of authentication?

The workflow of authentication usually involves the following steps:

1. User initiates authentication by providing their credentials (username and password, for example).
2. The authentication system validates the provided credentials.
3. If the credentials are valid, the system generates a token or session identifier to represent the authenticated user.
4. The user is granted access to the requested resource or system based on their authentication status.
5. The authentication token or session identifier may need to be periodically renewed or revalidated, depending on the system’s settings.