Types of Authentication
Roger A. Grimes · 2020
This chapter covers the major authentication solution types, along with advantages and disadvantages of each. The most common form of authentication is personal recognition. Most user and device authentication uses password-based authentication, the most popular form of knowledge-based authentication (KBA). Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) tests can be a simple KBA method. Cryptography is involved in nearly all digital authentication and is often the primary reason the authentication is able to be successful. The chapter summarizes the major components of cryptography used in login authentication, including encryption, public key infrastructure, and hashing. One-time password devices automatically generate a seemingly “random” code, which can be typed in a multifactor authentication (MFA) logon screen that is synchronized with a similar process associated with the authentication check. Today's smartphones are basically computers. Many MFA solutions rely on custom-built or shared authentication applications.