Electronic Authentication - Tokens

Tokens

Tokens generically are something the claimant possesses and controls that may be used to authenticate the claimant’s identity. In e-authentication, the claimant authenticates to a system or application over a network. Therefore, a token used for e-authentication is a secret and the token must be protected. The token may, for example, be a cryptographic key, that is protected by encrypting it under a password. An impostor must steal the encrypted key and learn the password to use the token. Authentication systems are often categorized by the number of factors that they incorporate. The three factors often considered as the cornerstone of authentication are: • Something you know (for example, a password) • Something you have (for example, an ID badge or a cryptographic key) • Something you are (for example, a voice print or other biometric)