Importance of Authentication and Protection

Importance of Authentication and Protection

Authentication is an important part of any company trying to protect their data from access. Providing authentication allows the user to access data and gives peace of mind to users. This peace comes from a trusted base and gives the company an underlying advantage to security threats. It is the link between access and the limiter of information. It provides many different ways to protect information from the outside world and gives the user full capabilities from any location desired. Authentication also provides a clear understanding of who can access information on internal sites along with setting parameters on the network. Security is vital and information is valuable, how we access it and protect it will leave vulnerabilities or keep it secure.

Security authentication is simply the process of verifying that you are who you say you are. It comes in various forms but all act the similar; ensuring that you are who you say you are. Authentication is an important area of interest to any company using any type of computer system. It provides a way to ensure that security and protection are provided to the entire company along with all the information stored there.

Authentication means to "establish as genuine" (dictionary.com) and that is just what it does. When you sign in with your credentials the complex task of authentication takes place. This process goes very fast and compares your personal identifier with the information stored on the servers you are accessing. To really understand how much is going on, it is important to know how the system processes your information once you have entered it.

When you are asked to enter your pin for a purchase this is a form of authentication and ensures the credit card you are using is really yours. This is authentication in its

Importance of Authentication and Protection

simplest form, also known as two factor authentications. They ask for something you have (bank card) and something you know (pin).When needing authentication to be granted on a network it acts no different. When you setup a new account, you are asked to provide information in all the necessary fields with personal data about you. This is setting up a profile which will be given a specific identifier within the system. Once you have completed your initial profile setup, generally you are then asked to choose a user name and then password. This is linked directly to your profile on the server; giving you access through authentication this process is also known as single sign on authentication (SSO).

Although the surface stuff is pretty straight forward, authentication can get very complex and in depth depending on the system it is used on. Software development can add many of the security functions at an application level making it more user friendly and increasing the functionality of the program. You have various forms such authentication that can be added; Password, Two Form, Single Sign On, Access Control, Biometrics, Network Authentication, Strong Authentication, Transaction and many more depending on the need of the user. With most of these, some are commonly used while others are very specialized. Common forms include password, two factor and single sign on (SSO) with more complex authentication like biometrics using what you are (generally eyes or finger print).Levels of authentication will completely depend on your use and how you want to protect the companies information.

Authentication comes in various forms, not just those mentioned above. They include firewalls, proxy servers, intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion detection and

Importance of Authentication and Protection

prevention systems (IDPS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), port monitoring, least privilege, audit trails and many forms of wireless security. Wireless security has many authentication processes and generally you must pass those before gaining any access to the system. Most authentications take place at the application layer and network layer of the system. Layers 3 the network layer is where the system hosts all its routers, and switches providing signals to all the departments within a building. This is where the firewalls and proxy servers are hosted. Layer 7 the application layer provides all the end user information and is where the data gets turned into useable, interactive information. Along with these hardware devices, the inclusion of software helps with protection and preventions. Having software systems like spyware, antivirus and other security parameters built into software programs that we use.

By having the software built from the ground up, you are able to get a stronger and more secure system with less unforeseeable problems. Your programs will be