Authentication vs. Authorization: Key Differences | Fortinet (2024)

Authentication is the process of confirming the identity of a user. This is usually the initial step in the security process. To confirm the user's identity, the user must present physical or nonphysical evidence (information) to the authentication platform. These can be divided broadly among the following:

1. What they have: The possession of a physical object, such as a key, keycard, key fob, or swipe card.
2. What they know: Information that only the user would know, including a password, passcode, personal identification number (PIN), date of birth, Social Security number, or other personally identifiable information (PII).
3. Who they are: Biometrics, or the use of an index finger, thumb, hand, voice, retina, face, or another unique physical identifier to gain access to a resource. The physical attribute must match what was used at the time of the user's enrollment in the system.

Passwords are generally the most common—and oldest—authentication factor. If the password matches exactly the password created by either the user or the system, the system assumes validity and grants access.

Other information-based authentication processes are also gaining in popularity. One is the one-time PIN or temporary password generated by the system. It allows a user access to a single or temporary session that expires after a set amount of time. Mobile banking users typically encounter this procedure for money transfer transactions, specifically when a new recipient, at first unrecognized by the system, is added.

Another way to confirm user identity is through an authentication application, usually on the user's mobile device, that generatestemporary security codes that grant access to another website or service.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) are also increasingly being employed to increase security beyond the level provided by passwords alone. These processes require the successful verification of one or more modalities before granting access to a system. For example, MFA could ask a user to provide both a password and the temporary PIN sent to the user's mobile device.

Authorization is the process of giving a user permission to access a physical location or information-based resource (e.g., a document, database, application, or website).

Authorization is unfortunately used synonymously with authentication, but this is an error. Authentication occurs first, followed by authorization. Users need to prove their identities before a system can grant them permission to enter.

However, permission is a broad term. A user may pass authentication procedures and be granted access to a system, but that does not mean they can access all the components of an application or online service because specific permissions can be defined by the organization that allowed them access.

Permissionsare what a user is able to see or do on a website or inside an application. Without these specific permissions, every user would have access to the same information or features.

As such, permissions and restrictions, and their proper administration, are critical to an organization's security for several reasons. This is because they:

Permissions also separate internal from external users.While both employees and customers can be allowed to use a company's website, employees should have access to data and systems that customers should not have. In the same vein, certain employees should not have access to important client information. As such, the organization must create different levels of authorizations for each employee.

Setting the right permission levels is as equally important as selecting the right combination of authentication factors. In fact, proper authorization can reduce the negative effects of a data breach. For example, if a hacker successfully gains access to an employee's account, and if that employee is not authorized to access customers' banking or credit card information, then the ill effects of the breach could be lessened.

Further, authorizations make employees more productive. If they have the correct level of access to the files and programs they need to carry out their work, they do not have to constantly ask their managers or IT for access. They will also not be distracted or overwhelmed by files and programs they do not need.

Authentication is a process to authenticate a user, that is, to verify that someone is who they say they are. Authorization is about determining a user’s level of access and then granting access based on that level.

However, it’s not about picking authentication or authorization. What’s more important is to unpack the differences between them, and understand that both are vital to secure enterprise systems, applications, and data.