Authentication, Authorization, and Encryption

Authentication is the verification of who a user is.

Single-factor authentication only needs one method of verification, usually a username and password.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires at least two consecutive factors of verification. The most common implementation is a password followed by an access code sent to another device or service.

Authorization is what a user can do.

It includes verifying and maintaining the level of access a user has.

Encryption is the process of transforming data into a format that is unreadable unless you have the correct key to decrypt it.

Encryption technologies are constantly evolving.

In the 1960s, usernames and passwords originated from time-sharing practices used when users accessed centralized computers from terminals. Initially, these passwords were stored in plaintext.

In the 1970s, passwords were beginning to become encrypted using a salted hash.

In the 1980s, one-time passwords (OTP), a unique password that changes every time a user logs in, was created, enabling new methods of possession-based authentication.

In the 2000s, multi-factor authentication (MFA) began to become more widely used, and it includes factors like something you know, something you have, or something you are.