Authenticate
Authenticate is a verb meaning to prove or verify something as genuine or true, or to establish the identity of a person or device. In law, finance, and digital systems, authentication is the process of confirming that claims about identity or provenance are valid. It is distinct from authorization, which concerns access rights.
In information security, authentication verifies that the entity presenting a claim is indeed who or what it
Common authentication methods include knowledge factors (passwords, PINs), possession factors (security tokens, smart cards, mobile devices),
In digital networks, authentication protocols enable secure verification. Examples include password-based authentication, certificate-based authentication, and federated
Security considerations include phishing, credential stuffing, and replay attacks. Best practices emphasize MFA, passwordless options, phishing-resistant