Authentication is a process where a person or a computer program proves their identity in order to access information. The person’s identity is a simple assertion, the login ID for a particular computer application, for example. Proof is the most important part of the concept and that proof is generally something known, like a password; something possessed, like your ATM card; or something unique about your appearance or person, like a fingerprint...

Strong authentication will require at least two of these proofs.

State of the art authentication processes are tightly linked with encryption or crypto systems. In a world where the application that wants to authenticate you is on the other side of an open network like the Internet, the password that is your proof must be sent encrypted or it’s no longer a secret.