A wide variety of terms is used in the realm of authentication. While many terms’ definitions are consistent with earlier versions of SP 800-63, some have changed in this revision. Many of these terms lack a single, consistent definition, warranting careful attention to how the terms are defined here.
- Access
- To make contact with one or more discrete functions of an online, digital service.
- Activation
- The process of inputting an activation factor into a multi-factor authenticator to enable its use for authentication.
- Activation factor
- An additional authentication factor that is used to enable successful authentication with a multi-factor authenticator. Since all multi-factor authenticators are physical authenticators, activation factors are either memorized secrets or biometric factors.
- Active Attack
- An attack on the authentication protocol where the attacker transmits data to the claimant, Credential Service Provider (CSP), verifier, or Relying Party (RP). Examples of active attacks include attacker-in-the-middle (AitM), impersonation, and session hijacking.
- Address of Record
- The validated and verified location (physical or digital) where a subscriber can receive communications using approved mechanisms.
- Allowlist
- A documented list of specific elements that are allowed, per policy decision. In federation contexts, this is most commonly used to refer to the list of RPs allowed to connect to an IdP without subscriber intervention. This concept has historically been known as a whitelist.
- Applicant
- A subject undergoing the processes of enrollment and identity proofing.
- Approved Cryptography
- Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)-approved or NIST recommended. An algorithm or technique that is either 1) specified in a FIPS or NIST Recommendation, or 2) adopted in a FIPS or NIST Recommendation.
- Assertion
- A statement from a verifier to an RP that contains information about a subscriber. Assertions may also contain verified attributes.
- Assertion Reference
- A data object, created in conjunction with an assertion, that identifies the verifier and includes a pointer to the full assertion held by the verifier.
- Asymmetric Keys
- Two related keys, comprised of a public key and a private key, that are used to perform complementary operations such as encryption and decryption or signature verification and generation.
- Attack
- An unauthorized entity’s attempt to fool a verifier or RP into believing that the unauthorized individual in question is the subscriber.
- Attacker
- A party, including an insider, who acts with malicious intent to compromise a system.
- Attacker-in-the-Middle Attack (AitM)
- An attack in which an attacker is positioned between two communicating parties in order to intercept and/or alter data traveling between them. In the context of authentication, the attacker would be positioned between claimant and verifier, between registrant and CSP during enrollment, or between subscriber and CSP during authenticator binding.
- Attribute
- A quality or characteristic ascribed to someone or something.
- Attribute API
- An API that provides attribute values, derived attribute values, and related information about one or more subscribers. Access to these APIs are often granted to RPs in the context of an identity API (for a single subscriber) or a provisioning API (for multiple subscribers). This is distinct from an attribute verification API which is used to verify attribute values for a CSP during the identity proofing process.
- Attribute Bundle
- A packaged set of attributes, usually contained within an assertion. Attribute bundles offer RPs a simple way to retrieve the most relevant attributes they need from IdPs. OpenID Connect scopes [OIDC] are an implementation of attribute bundles.
- Attribute Provider
- A service that provides a subscriber’s attributes without asserting that the subscriber is present to the RP. An Identity Provider (IdP) is one type of attribute provider used in federated scenarios. Attribute providers often make these attributes available by means of an attribute API.
- Attribute Value
- A complete statement asserting a property of a subscriber, independent of format. For example, for the attribute “birthday,” a value could be “12/1/1980” or “December 1, 1980.”
- Attribute Verification API
- An API that provides verification of attribute values for use during an identity proofing process. This API accepts attribute values as input queries and returns whether or not the attribute values can be verified. This is distinct from an attribute API which is used to convey attributes to an RP.
- Authenticate
- See Authentication.
- Authenticated Protected Channel
- An encrypted communication channel that uses approved cryptography where the connection initiator (client) has authenticated the recipient (server). Authenticated protected channels provide confidentiality and MitM protection and are frequently used in the user authentication process. Transport Layer Security (TLS) [BCP195] is an example of an authenticated protected channel where the certificate presented by the recipient is verified by the initiator. Unless otherwise specified, authenticated protected channels do not require the server to authenticate the client. Authentication of the server is often accomplished through a certificate chain leading to a trusted root rather than individually with each server.
- Authentication
- The process of determining the validity of one or more authenticators used to claim a digital identity. Authentication establishes that a subject attempting to access a digital service is in control of the technologies used to authenticate.
- Authentication Factor
- The three types of authentication factors are something you know, something you have, and something you are. Every authenticator has one or more authentication factors.
- Authentication Intent
- The process of confirming the claimant’s intent to authenticate or reauthenticate by including a process requiring user intervention in the authentication flow. Some authenticators (e.g., OTP devices) establish authentication intent as part of their operation, others require a specific step, such as pressing a button, to establish intent. Authentication intent is a countermeasure against use by malware of the endpoint as a proxy for authenticating an attacker without the subscriber’s knowledge.
- Authentication Protocol
- A defined sequence of messages between a claimant and a verifier that demonstrates that the claimant has possession and control of one or more valid authenticators to establish their identity, and, optionally, demonstrates that the claimant is communicating with the intended verifier.
- Authentication Secret
- A generic term for any secret value that an attacker could use to impersonate the subscriber in an authentication protocol.
These are further divided into short-term authentication secrets, which are only useful to an attacker for a limited period of time, and long-term authentication secrets, which allow an attacker to impersonate the subscriber until they are manually reset. The authenticator secret is the canonical example of a long-term authentication secret, while the authenticator output, if it is different from the authenticator secret, is usually a short-term authentication secret.
- Authenticator
- Something the claimant possesses and controls (typically a cryptographic module or password) that is used to authenticate the claimant’s identity. In some previous editions of SP 800-63, this was referred to as a token.
- Authentication Assurance Level (AAL)
- A category describing the strength of the authentication process.
- Authenticator Output
- The output value generated by an authenticator. The ability to generate valid authenticator outputs on demand proves that the claimant possesses and controls the authenticator. Protocol messages sent to the verifier are dependent upon the authenticator output, but they may or may not explicitly contain it.
- Authenticator Secret
- The secret value contained within an authenticator.
- Authenticator Type
- A category of authenticators with common characteristics. Some authenticator types provide one authentication factor, others provide two.
- Authenticity
- The property that data originated from its purported source.
- Authoritative Source
- An entity that has access to, or verified copies of, accurate information from an issuing source such that a CSP can confirm the validity of the identity evidence supplied by an applicant during identity proofing. An issuing source may also be an authoritative source. Often, authoritative sources are determined by a policy decision of the agency or CSP before they can be used in the identity proofing validation phase.
- Authorize
- A decision to grant access, typically automated by evaluating a subject’s attributes.
- Authorized Party
- In federation, the organization, person, or entity that is responsible for making decisions regarding the release of information within the federation transaction, most notably subscriber attributes. This is often the subscriber (when runtime decisions are used) or the party operating the IdP (when allowlists are used).
- Back-Channel Communication
- Communication between two systems that relies on a direct connection (allowing for standard protocol-level proxies), without using redirects through an intermediary such as a browser. This can be accomplished using HTTP requests and responses.
- Bearer Assertion
- The assertion a party presents as proof of identity, where possession of the assertion itself is sufficient proof of identity for the assertion bearer.
- Binding
- An association between a subscriber identity and an authenticator or given subscriber session.
- Biometric Reference
- one or more stored biometric samples, templates, or models attributed to an individual and used as the object of biometric comparison. For example, a facial image stored digitally on a passport, fingerprint minutiae template on a National ID card or Gaussian Mixture Model for speaker recognition, in a database.
- Biometric Sample
- An analog or digital representation of biometric characteristics prior to biometric feature extraction. An example is a record containing a fingerprint image.
- Biometrics
- Automated recognition of individuals based on their biological and behavioral characteristics.
- Blocklist
- A documented list of specific elements that are blocked, per policy decision. This concept has historically been known as a blacklist.
- Challenge-Response Protocol
- An authentication protocol where the verifier sends the claimant a challenge (usually a random value or nonce) that the claimant combines with a secret (such as by hashing the challenge and a shared secret together, or by applying a private key operation to the challenge) to generate a response that is sent to the verifier. The verifier can independently verify the response generated by the claimant (such as by re-computing the hash of the challenge and the shared secret and comparing to the response, or performing a public key operation on the response) and establish that the claimant possesses and controls the secret.
- Claimant
- A subject whose identity is to be verified using one or more authentication protocols.
- Claimed Address
- The physical location asserted by a subject where they can be reached. It includes the individual’s residential street address and may also include their mailing address.
For example, a person with a foreign passport living in the U.S. will need to give an address when going through the identity proofing process. This address would not be an “address of record” but a “claimed address.”
- Claimed Identity
- An applicant’s declaration of unvalidated and unverified personal attributes.
- Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA)
- An interactive feature added to web forms to distinguish whether a human or automated agent is using the form. Typically, it requires entering text corresponding to a distorted image or a sound stream.
- Core Attributes
- The set of identity attributes the CSP has determined and documented to be required for identity proofing.
- Credential
- An object or data structure that authoritatively binds an identity - via an identifier or identifiers - and (optionally) additional attributes, to at least one authenticator possessed and controlled by a subscriber.
A credential is issued, stored, and maintained by the CSP. Copies of information from the credential can be possessed by the subscriber, typically in the form of a one or more digital certificates that are often contained, along with their associated private keys, in an authenticator.
- Credential Service Provider (CSP)
- A trusted entity whose functions include identity proofing applicants to the identity service and the registration of authenticators to subscriber accounts. A CSP may be an independent third party.
- Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF)
- An attack in which a subscriber currently authenticated to an RP and connected through a secure session browses to an attacker’s website, causing the subscriber to unknowingly invoke unwanted actions at the RP.
For example, if a bank website is vulnerable to a CSRF attack, it may be possible for a subscriber to unintentionally authorize a large money transfer, merely by viewing a malicious link in a webmail message while a connection to the bank is open in another browser window.
- Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
- A vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious code into an otherwise benign website. These scripts acquire the permissions of scripts generated by the target website and can therefore compromise the confidentiality and integrity of data transfers between the website and client. Websites are vulnerable if they display user-supplied data from requests or forms without sanitizing the data so that it is not executable.
- Cryptographic Authenticator
- An authenticator that proves possession of an authentication secret through direct communication, via the endpoint, with a verifier.
- Cryptographic Key
- A value used to control cryptographic operations, such as decryption, encryption, signature generation, or signature verification. For the purposes of these guidelines, key requirements shall meet the minimum requirements stated in Table 2 of NIST [SP800-57Part1].
See also Asymmetric Keys, Symmetric Key.
- Cryptographic Module
- A set of hardware, software, and/or firmware that implements approved security functions (including cryptographic algorithms and key generation).
- Data Integrity
- The property that data has not been altered by an unauthorized entity.
- Derived Attribute Value
- A statement asserting a property of a subscriber without necessarily containing identity information, independent of format. For example, instead of requesting the attribute “birthday,” a derived value could be “older than 18”. Instead of requesting the attribute for “physical address,” a derived value could be “currently residing in this district.” Previous versions of these guidelines referred to this construct as an “attribute reference”.
- Digital Authentication
- The process of establishing confidence in user identities presented digitally to a system. In previous editions of SP 800-63, this was referred to as Electronic Authentication.
- Digital Signature
- An asymmetric key operation where the private key is used to digitally sign data and the public key is used to verify the signature. Digital signatures provide authenticity protection, integrity protection, and non-repudiation, but not confidentiality protection.
- Disassociability
- Per [NISTIR8062]: The processing of PII or events without association to individuals or devices beyond the operational requirements of the system.
- Eavesdropping Attack
- An attack in which an attacker listens passively to the authentication protocol to capture information that can be used in a subsequent active attack to masquerade as the claimant.
- Electronic Authentication (E-Authentication)
- See Digital Authentication.
- Enrollment
- The process through which an applicant applies to become a subscriber of a CSP and the CSP validates the applicant’s identity.
- Entropy
- A measure of the amount of uncertainty an attacker faces to determine the value of a secret. Entropy is usually stated in bits. A value having n bits of entropy has the same degree of uncertainty as a uniformly distributed n-bit random value.
- Equity
- Per EO 13985, Equity refers to the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.
- Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)
- Under the Information Technology Management Reform Act (Public Law 104-106), the Secretary of Commerce approves the standards and guidelines that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) develops for federal computer systems. NIST issues these standards and guidelines as Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) for government-wide use. NIST develops FIPS when there are compelling federal government requirements, such as for security and interoperability, and there are no acceptable industry standards or solutions. See background information for more details.
FIPS documents are available online on the FIPS home page: https://www.nist.gov/itl/fips.cfm
- Federated Identifier
- The combination of a subject identifier within an assertion and an identifier for the IdP that issued that assertion. When combined, these pieces of information uniquely identify the subscriber in the context of a federation transaction.
- Federation
- A process that allows the conveyance of identity and authentication information across a set of networked systems.
- Federation Assurance Level (FAL)
- A category describing the assertion protocol used by the federation to communicate authentication and attribute information (if applicable) to an RP.
- Federation Proxy
- A component that acts as a logical RP to a set of IdPs and a logical IdP to a set of RPs, bridging the two systems with a single component. These are sometimes referred to as “brokers”.
- Federation Transaction
- A specific instance of processing an authentication using a federation process for a specific subscriber by conveying an assertion from an IdP to an RP.
- Front-Channel Communication
- Communication between two systems that relies on redirects through an intermediary such as a browser. This is normally accomplished by appending HTTP query parameters to URLs hosted by the receiver of the message.
- Hash Function
- A function that maps a bit string of arbitrary length to a fixed-length bit string. Approved hash functions satisfy the following properties:
-
One-way - It is computationally infeasible to find any input that maps to any pre-specified output; and
-
Collision resistant - It is computationally infeasible to find any two distinct inputs that map to the same output.
- Identity
- An attribute or set of attributes that uniquely describe a subject within a given context.
- Identity API
- An attribute API accessed by an RP for accessing attributes of a specific subscriber. Access to the identity API is generally granted as part of a federation authentication process and limited to the information for a single, specific subscriber.
- Identity Assurance Level (IAL)
- A category that conveys the degree of confidence that the applicant’s claimed identity is their real identity.
- Identity Evidence
- Information or documentation provided by the applicant to support the claimed identity. Identity evidence may be physical (e.g. a driver license) or digital (e.g. an assertion generated and issued by a CSP based on the applicant successfully authenticating to the CSP).
- Identity Proofing
- The process by which a CSP collects, validates, and verifies information about a person.
- Identity Provider (IdP)
- When using federation, this is the party that manages the subscriber’s primary authenticators and issues assertions derived from the subscriber account.
- Identity Resolution
- The process of collecting information about an applicant in order to uniquely distinguish an individual within the context of the population the CSP serves.
- Issuing Source
- An authority responsible for the generation of data, digital evidence (such as assertions), or physical documents that can be used as identity evidence.
- Kerberos
- A widely used authentication protocol developed at MIT. In “classic” Kerberos, users share a secret password with a Key Distribution Center (KDC). The user (Alice) who wishes to communicate with another user (Bob) authenticates to the KDC and the KDC furnishes a “ticket” to use to authenticate with Bob.
See [SP800-63C] Sec. 11.2 for more information.
- Knowledge-Based Verification (KBV)
- Identity verification method based on knowledge of private information associated with the claimed identity. This is often referred to as knowledge-based authentication (KBA) or knowledge-based proofing (KBP).
- Manageability
- Per NISTIR 8062: Providing the capability for granular administration of personally identifiable information, including alteration, deletion, and selective disclosure.
- Memorized Secret
- A type of authenticator comprised of a character string intended to be memorized or memorable by the subscriber, permitting the subscriber to demonstrate something they know as part of an authentication process.
- Message Authentication Code (MAC)
- A cryptographic checksum on data that uses a symmetric key to detect both accidental and intentional modifications of the data. MACs provide authenticity and integrity protection, but not non-repudiation protection.
- Mobile Code
- Executable code that is normally transferred from its source to another computer system for execution. This transfer is often through the network (e.g., JavaScript embedded in a web page) but may transfer through physical media as well.
- Multi-Factor
- A characteristic of an authentication system or an authenticator that requires more than one distinct authentication factor for successful authentication. MFA can be performed using a single authenticator that provides more than one factor or by a combination of authenticators that provide different factors.
The three authentication factors are something you know, something you have, and something you are.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- An authentication system that requires more than one distinct authentication factor for successful authentication. Multi-factor authentication can be performed using a multi-factor authenticator or by a combination of authenticators that provide different factors.
The three authentication factors are something you know, something you have, and something you are.
- Multi-Factor Authenticator
- An authenticator that provides more than one distinct authentication factor, such as a cryptographic authentication device with an integrated biometric sensor that is required to activate the device.
- Network
- An open communications medium, typically the Internet, used to transport messages between the claimant and other parties. Unless otherwise stated, no assumptions are made about the network’s security; it is assumed to be open and subject to active (e.g., impersonation, attacker-in-the-middle, session hijacking) and passive (e.g., eavesdropping) attack at any point between the parties (e.g., claimant, verifier, CSP, RP).
- Nonce
- A value used in security protocols that is never repeated with the same key. For example, nonces used as challenges in challenge-response authentication protocols must not be repeated until authentication keys are changed. Otherwise, there is a possibility of a replay attack. Using a nonce as a challenge is a different requirement than a random challenge, because a nonce is not necessarily unpredictable.
- Offline Attack
- An attack where the attacker obtains some data (typically by eavesdropping on an authentication transaction or by penetrating a system and stealing security files) that the attacker is able to analyze in a system of their own choosing.
- One-to-one (1:1) Comparison
- The process in which a biometric sample from an individual is compared to a biometric reference to produce a comparison score.
- Online Attack
- An attack against an authentication protocol where the attacker either assumes the role of a claimant with a genuine verifier or actively alters the authentication channel.
- Online Guessing Attack
- An attack in which an attacker performs repeated logon trials by guessing possible values of the authenticator output.
- Pairwise Pseudonymous Identifier
- An opaque unguessable subscriber identifier generated by a CSP for use at a specific individual RP. This identifier is only known to and only used by one CSP-RP pair.
- Passive Attack
- An attack against an authentication protocol where the attacker intercepts data traveling along the network between the claimant and verifier, but does not alter the data (i.e., eavesdropping).
- Passphrase
- A passphrase is a memorized secret consisting of a sequence of words or other text that a claimant uses to authenticate their identity. A passphrase is similar to a password in usage, but is generally longer for added security.
- Password
- See memorized secret.
- Personal Data
- See Personally Identifiable Information.
- Personal Identification Number (PIN)
- A memorized secret typically consisting of only decimal digits.
- Personal Information
- See Personally Identifiable Information.
- Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
- As defined by OMB Circular A-130, PII is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual.
- Personally Identifiable Information Processing
- An operation or set of operations performed upon personally identifiable information that can include, but is not limited to, the collection, retention, logging, generation, transformation, use, disclosure, transfer, and disposal of personally identifiable information.
- Pharming
- An attack in which an attacker corrupts an infrastructure service such as DNS (Domain Name System) causing the subscriber to be misdirected to a forged verifier/RP, which could cause the subscriber to reveal sensitive information, download harmful software, or contribute to a fraudulent act.
- Phishing
- An attack in which the subscriber is lured (usually through an email) to interact with a counterfeit verifier/RP and tricked into revealing information that can be used to masquerade as that subscriber to the real verifier/RP.
- Possession and Control of an Authenticator
- The ability to activate and use the authenticator in an authentication protocol.
- Practice Statement
- A formal statement of the practices followed by the parties to an authentication process (e.g., CSP or verifier). It usually describes the parties’ policies and practices and can become legally binding.
- Predictability
- Per [NISTIR8062]: Enabling reliable assumptions by individuals, owners, and operators about PII and its processing by an information system.
- Private Key
- The secret part of an asymmetric key pair that is used to digitally sign or decrypt data.
- Processing
- Per [NISTIR8062]: Operation or set of operations performed upon PII that can include, but is not limited to, the collection, retention, logging, generation, transformation, use, disclosure, transfer, and disposal of PII.
- Presentation Attack
- Presentation to the biometric data capture subsystem with the goal of interfering with the operation of the biometric system.
- Presentation Attack Detection (PAD)
- Automated determination of a presentation attack. A subset of presentation attack determination methods, referred to as liveness detection, involves measurement and analysis of anatomical characteristics or involuntary or voluntary reactions, in order to determine if a biometric sample is being captured from a living subject present at the point of capture.
- Protected Session
- A session wherein messages between two participants are encrypted and integrity is protected using a set of shared secrets called session keys.
A protected session is said to be authenticated if, during the session, one participant proves possession of one or more authenticators in addition to the session keys, and if the other party can verify the identity associated with the authenticator(s). If both participants are authenticated, the protected session is said to be mutually authenticated.
- Provisioning API
- An attribute API that allows an RP to access to attributes for multiple subscribers for the purposes of provisioning RP subscriber accounts. Access to a provisioning API is generally granted to the RP outside of a specific federated authentication transaction.
- Pseudonym
- A name other than a legal name.
- Pseudonymity
- The use of a pseudonym to identify a subject.
- Pseudonymous Identifier
- A meaningless but unique number that does not allow the RP to infer anything regarding the subscriber but which does permit the RP to associate multiple interactions with the subscriber’s claimed identity.
- Public Key
- The public part of an asymmetric key pair that is used to verify signatures or encrypt data.
- Public Key Certificate
- A digital document issued and digitally signed by the private key of a certificate authority that binds an identifier to a subscriber to a public key. The certificate indicates that the subscriber identified in the certificate has sole control and access to the private key. See also [RFC5280].
- Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
- A set of policies, processes, server platforms, software, and workstations used for the purpose of administering certificates and public-private key pairs, including the ability to issue, maintain, and revoke public key certificates.
- Reauthentication
- The process of confirming the subscriber’s continued presence and intent to be authenticated during an extended usage session.
- Registration
- See Enrollment.
- Relying Party (RP)
- An entity that relies upon a verifier’s assertion of a subscriber’s identity, typically to process a transaction or grant access to information or a system.
- Remote
- (In the context of remote authentication or remote transaction) An information exchange between network-connected devices where the information cannot be reliably protected end-to-end by a single organization’s security controls.
- Replay Attack
- An attack in which the attacker is able to replay previously captured messages (between a legitimate claimant and a verifier) to masquerade as that claimant to the verifier or vice versa.
- Replay Resistance
- The property of an authentication process to resist replay attacks, typically by use of an authenticator output that is valid only for a specific authentication.
- Resolution
- See Identity Resolution.
- Restricted
- An authenticator type, class, or instantiation having additional risk of false acceptance associated with its use that is therefore subject to additional requirements.
- Risk Assessment
- The process of identifying, estimating, and prioritizing risks to organizational operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), organizational assets, individuals, and other organizations, resulting from the operation of a system. It is part of risk management, incorporates threat and vulnerability analyses, and considers mitigations provided by security controls planned or in place. Synonymous with risk analysis.
- Risk Management
- The program and supporting processes to manage information security risk to organizational operations (including mission, functions, image, reputation), organizational assets, individuals, other organizations, and includes: (i) establishing the context for risk-related activities; (ii) assessing risk; (iii) responding to risk once determined; and (iv) monitoring risk over time.
- Salt
- A non-secret value used in a cryptographic process, usually to ensure that the results of computations for one instance cannot be reused by an attacker.
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
- See Transport Layer Security (TLS).
- Session
- A persistent interaction between a subscriber and an endpoint, either an RP or a CSP. A session begins with an authentication event and ends with a session termination event. A session is bound by use of a session secret that the subscriber’s software (a browser, application, or OS) can present to the RP to prove association of the session with the authentication event.
- Session Hijack Attack
- An attack in which the attacker is able to insert themselves between a claimant and a verifier subsequent to a successful authentication exchange between the latter two parties. The attacker is able to pose as a subscriber to the verifier or vice versa to control session data exchange. Sessions between the claimant and the RP can be similarly compromised.
- Shared Secret
- A secret used in authentication that is known to the subscriber and the verifier.
- Side-Channel Attack
- An attack enabled by leakage of information from a physical cryptosystem. Characteristics that could be exploited in a side-channel attack include timing, power consumption, and electromagnetic and acoustic emissions.
- Single-Factor
- A characteristic of an authentication system or an authenticator that requires only one authentication factor (something you know, something you have, or something you are) for successful authentication.
- Social Engineering
- The act of deceiving an individual into revealing sensitive information, obtaining unauthorized access, or committing fraud by associating with the individual to gain confidence and trust.
- Software Statement
- Software Statement
- A list of attributes describing a piece of software that is cryptographically signed by an authority. Software statements are used most commonly with RPs in a federated scenario.
- Special Publication (SP)
- A type of publication issued by NIST. Specifically, the SP 800-series reports on the Information Technology Laboratory’s research, guidelines, and outreach efforts in computer security, and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations.
- Subject
- A person, organization, device, hardware, network, software, or service.
- Subscriber
- An individual enrolled in the CSP identity service.
- Subscriber Account
- An account established by the CSP containing information and authenticators registered for each subscriber enrolled in the CSP identity service.
- Supervised Remote Identity Proofing
- A remote identity proofing process that employs physical, technical and procedural measures that provide sufficient confidence that the remote session can be considered equivalent to a physical, in-person identity proofing process.
- Symmetric Key
- A cryptographic key used to perform both the cryptographic operation and its inverse. For example, to encrypt and decrypt or create a message authentication code and to verify the code.
- Synthetic identity fraud
- The use of a combination of personally identifiable information (PII) to fabricate a person or entity in order to commit a dishonest act for personal or financial gain.
- Token
- See Authenticator.
- Transaction
- A discrete event between a user and a system that supports a business or programmatic purpose. A government digital system may have multiple categories or types of transactions, which may require separate analysis within the overall digital identity risk assessment.
- Transport Layer Security (TLS)
- An authentication and security protocol widely implemented in browsers and web servers. TLS is defined by [RFC5246]. TLS is similar to the older SSL protocol, and TLS 1.0 is effectively SSL version 3.1. NIST SP 800-52, Guidelines for the Selection and Use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) Implementations [SP800-52], specifies how TLS is to be used in government applications.
- Trust Anchor
- A public or symmetric key that is trusted because it is directly built into hardware or software, or securely provisioned via out-of-band means, rather than because it is vouched for by another trusted entity (e.g. in a public key certificate). A trust anchor may have name or policy constraints limiting its scope.
- Usability
- The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use. [ISO/IEC9241-11]
- Validation
- The process or act of checking and confirming that the evidence and attributes supplied by an applicant are authentic, accurate and associated with a real-life identity. Specifically, evidence validation is the process or act of checking that presented evidence is authentic, current, and issued from an acceptable source; attribute validation is the process or act of confirming the a set of attributes are accurate and associated with a real-life identity.
- Verification
- The process or act of confirming that the applicant holds the claimed identity represented by the validated identity attributes and associated evidence. In NIST SP 800-63, the term “verification” is synonymous with “identity verification.”
- Verifier
- An entity that verifies the claimant’s identity by verifying the claimant’s possession and control of one or more authenticators using an authentication protocol. To do this, the verifier needs to confirm the binding of the authenticators with the subscriber account and check that the subscriber account is active.
- Verifier Impersonation
- See Phishing.
- Zeroize
- Overwrite a memory location with data consisting entirely of bits with the value zero so that the data is destroyed and not recoverable. This is often contrasted with deletion methods that merely destroy reference to data within a file system rather than the data itself.
- Zero-Knowledge Password Protocol
- A password-based authentication protocol that allows a claimant to authenticate to a verifier without revealing the password to the verifier. Examples of such protocols are EKE, SPEKE and SRP.
Selected abbreviations in these guidelines are defined below.