Description of One- and Two-Factor Authentication Processes
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Understanding Authentication
Authentication is the means used by a computer to
identify a person or system. Authentication processes require people
(or systems) to provide information to prove their identity. A two-factor
authentication process collects two of the following three types
of information:
- Something you know, which is a shared
secret between a computer and a person, such as a password or
PIN.
- Something you have, which is the
possession of a physical token, such as an ATM card.
- Something you are, which is biometric
information generated for a person by digitizing measurements
of a physical characteristic such as fingerprint, facial geometry,
voice pattern, and retinal patterns. Because it is not practical
for U-M administrative systems at this time, biometric authentication
will not be addressed in this project.
One-Factor Authentication
One-factor authentication processes use one of these
three types of information. Examples are the U-M Kerberos system,
and the authentication process used on most Microsoft Windows desktops.
Using the same type of information twice, such as requiring two
passwords to log into a computer, is still one-factor authentication.
Two-Factor Authentication
An example of two-factor authentication is ATM cards
and PINs. The user's PIN (something you know) and the user's ATM
card (something you have) are both needed to access the ATM machine.
For this project, two-factor authentication refers to the use of
a password and a physical token together for authentication.
Overview of the MAIS Two-Factor Authentication
Project
The Two-Factor Authentication Project will resolve
the issues of a password-based, one-factor authentication process
for administrative systems at the University of Michigan. U-M business
managers, data stewards, and executive officers have assessed the
integrity and confidentiality risks associated with University enterprise
systems, and established an authentication direction for these systems.
This vision includes two-factor authentication, and
MAIS has developed a business case for this work, which involves:
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