Module-1 Information Security Devices (IdAM)

Identity Verification and Authentication

• An ID card or passport contains personal identifiable information (PII) such as name, date of birth, and biometric data like fingerprints or facial recognition data to quickly match a person's identity.

Biometric Authentication

• Biometric authentication involves a physical property of one's body, such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or retinal scans, to verify a user's identity.

Authentication Factors

• Identity characteristics assessed by a computer system to verify a user's identity are referred to as authentication factors.
• 'Something the user has' is an authentication factor, such as a smart card or token, which provides identity verification.

High-Security Identity Verification

• High-security organizations do not commonly use username and password combinations for identity verification, due to security risks.

Identity and Access Management (IdAM)

• The main purpose of IdAM is to manage and control user identities and access to computer resources and systems.
• IdAM involves tasks such as user authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA).
• The analogy of a "keys and locks" system is used to explain IdAM, where users have unique "keys" (identities) that grant access to specific "locks" (resources).

Computing Context

• In a computing context, 'identity' refers to a digital representation of a user, including their unique characteristics and attributes.
• In this context, 'identity' is different from the general understanding of the term, as it involves digital representation and verification of a user's identity.