Authentication

A set of flashcards covering key concepts from the Authentication lecture in Cybersecurity Fundamentals.

Authentication

The process of verifying the identity of a person or device.

Password Spraying

An attack method where a list of commonly used passwords is tried against many accounts.

Credential Stuffing

Using a username/password combo obtained from one breach to attempt access on different accounts.

Biometrics

Authentication based on biological characteristics such as fingerprints or facial recognition.

ASCII Characters

Standard characters representing letters, digits, and punctuation in text data.

NIST Guidelines

Standards recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for password security.

Leet Speak

An alternative alphabet used primarily on the internet, replacing letters with similar-looking numbers or symbols.

Entropic Passwords

Passwords designed to have high entropy, making them difficult to guess.

Passkeys

Cryptographic credentials stored on a device that replace traditional passwords and enhance security.

Authorization

The process of determining if an authenticated user has permission to access a resource.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

An authentication method requiring the use of two or more verification factors.

Knowledge Factor

An authentication factor based on something the user knows, such as a password or PIN.

Possession Factor

An authentication factor based on something the user has, such as a smart card or security token.

Inherence Factor

An authentication factor based on something the user is, typically using biometrics.

Hashing

The process of transforming data into a fixed-size string of characters, typically used to securely store passwords.

Brute-Force Attack

An attack method that attempts to guess credentials by trying every possible combination of characters until the correct one is found.