What is Authentication Technology

Authentication technology is a process which involves the method of comparing the credentials provided by the user to the credential present in the database file of an authorized user or to the data present in the authentication server. If the credentials match then the user gets the access to an authorized user.

 The main purpose of authentication technology is to determine whether the user has the genuine permission to access the file and to keep control over accessing your site, mainly used by the server.

 Authentication can be used when you want to keep track of users who are using or viewing your site.

Authentication technology is mainly used with two types of authorization process:

1. Two-factor authentication

2. Multifactor authentication

Previously multi-factor authentication was widely used, but because of its difficulties in use it got failed and password authentication continued because of its simple use.

Two-factor authentications is a widely used security process which involves two methods for security verification, one of which is very commonly used password verification.

The process of verifying that someone or something really is what has been declared is called authentication. So, authentication technology is the method of checking whether the user’s credentials match the data present in the data authentication server or the credentials in the database files of authorized users. Its main purpose was to verify if the user genuinely has permission to access certain files and to control the viewers of restricted data.

Frequently-used Types of Authentication Technology –

• Username/Password – Most commonly used electrical authentication method across the globe. It does not require any physical device and has a very low implementation cost. It is reasonably good for low assurance applications. At the same time, these are also easy to share and can be guessed, stolen or hacked easily which makes it unsuitable for protecting confidential data.

• One-time Password Device – These generate a new password at fixed intervals of time, using which it is possible to access restricted data. They provide true dual-factor authentication which makes the password difficult to steal or share. Hacking the password also becomes comparatively difficult as the password is not only random but also valid only for a small duration. Even so, these devices are expensive and rank low on the washability index.

• Biometric Authentication – This uses a part of the body, like a retinal scan or fingerprint, to authenticate the user. This is completely unique to each user and nearly impossible to steal. These devices are usually expensive and highly invasive, besides increasing the complexity of administration. Also, while these are reasonably safe, even they are not completely foolproof.

Cybersecurity market growth is fuelled by cybercrime. Even with the several types of authentication technology becoming available, the most popular form of authentication technology remains passwords. Upcoming authentication technology will not become popular among the common people unless it is as usable as the technology they currently use. Multi-factor authentication, despite being the latest authentication hack target, shows the promise of growth. Face-recognition as a means of authentication, though new, is quickly gaining popularity among the masses.