Re: Authentification classifications

From: Anne & Lynn Wheeler (lynn_at_garlic.com)
Date: 04/27/04

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    Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 08:59:56 -0600

    marc.jaeger@laposte.net (Marc Jaeger) writes:
    > Hi everybody,
    >
    > I try currently to make a classification of every authentication
    > methods that exist.
    >
    > I have noted as authentication methods : /etc/passwd, Windows SAM
    > file, Active Directory, NIS, PAM, Kerberos, PAP, CHAP, EAP, RADIUS,
    > NTLM, SASL, SSL, TLS, NDS, TACACS, IPsec, ISAkmp, pki, ..., MD5,
    > 3DES, LDAP,...

    another classification/taxonomy for authentication is what does the
    authentication really represent ... i.e. 3-factor authentication:

    1) something you know
    2) something you have
    3) something you are

    furthermore most of the factors can either be implicit or explicit and
    can either utilize shared-secrets or non-shared-secrets.

    this is "authentication method" with respect to the meaning of the
    authentication as opposed to the implementation authentication
    product/mechanism.

    passwords then tend to be

    a) something you know and
    b) shared-secret

    it is possible to have a hardware-token implementation that only
    operates in a specific way when the owner imputs the correct PIN into
    the token. the infrastructure then infers by responses from the token

    a) something you have (i.e. inferred because only the token could
    provide the correct response)
    b) something you know (i.e. inferred because only the token only works
    with the correct pin)
    c) non-shared secret (i.e. what is known is only inferred by the
    operation of the hardware taken, the server side doesn't actually have
    to verify what is known, only that it is known).

    lots of posts about what does a server domain name certificate in SSL
    really represent:
    http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subpubkey.html#sslcerts

    misc. stuff on radius & kerberos:
    http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subpubkey.html#radius
    http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subpubkey.html#kerberos

    some stuff about identity, authentication, and privacy:
    http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subpubkey.html#privacy 

    -- 
Anne & Lynn Wheeler | http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/
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