Authentication
From Erights
Definition
Authentication is a process of estabilishing which subject:
- created or is responsible for the contents of a given document;
- created or is responsible for the behavior of a given program.
Notes
Authentication should not be confused with the following two other concepts:
- identity checking
- authorization
Examples
- Debian packages (objects), after they are downloaded, before they are installed, are authenticated. The authentication procedure in this case estabilishes that given package (object) was issued by Debian community (subject). This step is useful if our trust in the Debian community is higher than to any other random subject.