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Authentication, verification and authorization are three closely related terms in IT security. Unfortunately, they are often misunderstood. We will consider the differences between these terms by looking at some examples.
In hardly any other area of IT security is there so much confusion between the meaning of the terms authentication, verification and authorization. Even experienced security experts get them muddled up. That's why we would like to explain the main differences between authentication, verification and authorization and make it clear where the differences are between these terms.
Authentication is the proof of identity, verification confirms its authenticity, and authorization grants authenticated entities certain access rights.
Authentication: This term is often used as a synonym for verification, but this is not entirely correct. By authentication we only mean the proof of the identity of something or someone. Generally, such proof of identity is provided by logging in using a username and password. In addition, smart cards, biometric methods or one-time passwords (One Time Passwords) are also used.
- Authentication is about WHO, it is concerned with identity.
Verification: Verification verifies the authenticity of the identity of a person, application, or device. Verification ensures trust and that only authorized entities have access to protected resources. Specific examples from IT security include verifying the authenticity and validity of a certificate, a website or even a digital document.
- Verification confirms the AUTHENTICITY of identity documents.
Authorization: Verification must take place before the authorization to do or receive something is granted. This process specifies in detail what access rights and permissions the authenticated person, application, or device receives for the resources provided. Access control determines the actual rights granted to services, functions and data.
- Authorization determines WHAT someone or something is allowed to do.
Authentication determines the identity of persons, applications or devices and verification ensures that this identity is authentic. Finally, authorization specifies what access rights can be granted by the system.
Below you will find three practical examples for authentication, verification and authorization.
As mentioned earlier, authentication is primarily about verifying the identity of a user, application, or device.
Verification on the other hand checks the authenticity of the identity that an entity has previously provided in the authentication process.
Authorization determines which resources an already authenticated user, application, or device is allowed to access.
Unmanageable growth in accounts and passwords affects many companies today. The solution is a single sign-on system. Users then only need to authenticate once to gain secure access to all the resources they need. Verification can be done using a modern VPN solution. Read more about this in our blog post “How SAML Single Sign-On simplifies login”.