Glossary

This section is informative.

A wide variety of terms are used in the realm of digital identity. While many 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.

account recovery

The ability to regain ownership of a subscriber account and its associated information and privileges.

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.

activation secret

A password that is used locally as an activation factor for a multi-factor authenticator.

applicant

A subject undergoing the processes of identity proofing and enrollment.

approved cryptography

An encryption algorithm, hash function, random bit generator, or similar technique that is Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)-approved or NIST-recommended. Approved algorithms and techniques are either specified or adopted in a FIPS or NIST recommendation.

assertion

A statement from an IdP to an RP that contains information about an authentication event for a subscriber. Assertions can also contain identity attributes for the subscriber in the form of attribute values, derived attribute values, and attribute bundles.

asymmetric keys

Two related cryptographic 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.

attestation

Information conveyed to the CSP, generally at the time that an authenticator is bound, to describe the characteristics of a connected authenticator or the endpoint involved in an authentication operation.

attribute

A quality or characteristic ascribed to someone or something. An identity attribute is an attribute about the identity of a subscriber (e.g., name, date of birth, address).

attribute validation

The process or act of confirming that a set of attributes are accurate and associated with a real-life identity. See validation.

authenticate

See authentication.

authenticated protected channel

An encrypted communication channel that uses approved cryptography in which the connection initiator (client) has authenticated the recipient (server). Authenticated protected channels are encrypted to provide confidentiality and protection against active intermediaries and are frequently used in the user authentication process. Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) [RFC9325] are examples of authenticated protected channels in which 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 that leads to a trusted root rather than individually with each server.

authenticated session

See protected session.

authentication

The process by which a claimant proves possession and control of one or more authenticators bound to a subscriber account to demonstrate that they are the subscriber associated with that account.

authentication assurance level (AAL)

A category that describes the strength of the authentication process.

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 requiring user intervention in the authentication flow. Some authenticators (e.g., OTPs) establish authentication intent as part of their operation. Others require a specific step to establish intent, such as pressing a button. Authentication intent is a countermeasure against malware at the endpoint as a proxy for authenticating an attacker without the subscriber’s knowledge.

authentication key

A private or symmetric key used by an authenticator to generate the authenticator output.

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 is used to verify 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 that the subscriber possesses and controls (e.g., a cryptographic module or password) and that is used to authenticate a claimant’s identity. See authenticator type and multi-factor authenticator.

authenticator binding

The establishment of an association between a specific authenticator and a subscriber account that allows the authenticator to authenticate the subscriber associated with the account, possibly in conjunction with other authenticators.

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 depend on the authenticator output, but they may or may not explicitly contain it.

authenticator type

A category of authenticators with common characteristics, such as the types of authentication factors they provide and the mechanisms by which they operate.

authenticity

The property that data originated from its purported source.

authorize

A decision to grant access, typically automated by evaluating a subject’s attributes.

biometric sample

An analog or digital representation of biometric characteristics prior to biometric feature extraction, such as a record that contains a fingerprint image.

biometrics

Automated recognition of individuals based on their biological or behavioral characteristics. Biological characteristics include but are not limited to fingerprints, palm prints, facial features, iris and retina patterns, voice prints, and vein patterns. Behavioral characteristics include keystroke cadence, the angle of holding a smartphone, screen pressure, typing speed, mouse or mobile phone movements, and gyroscope position, among others.

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 in which the verifier sends the claimant a challenge (e.g., a random value or nonce) that the claimant combines with a secret (e.g., 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 (e.g., by recomputing the hash of the challenge and the shared secret and comparing it 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 identity

An applicant’s declaration of unvalidated and unverified personal attributes.

credential

An object or data structure that authoritatively binds an identity — via an identifier — and (optionally) additional attributes to at least one authenticator that is 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 one or more digital certificates that are often contained in an authenticator along with their associated private keys.

credential service provider (CSP)

A trusted entity whose functions include identity proofing applicants to the identity service and registering authenticators to subscriber accounts. A CSP may be an independent third party.

cross-site request forgery (CSRF)

An attack in which a subscriber who is currently authenticated to an RP and connected through a secure session browses 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 by clicking on a malicious link in an email 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 that are generated by the target website to compromise the confidentiality and integrity of data transfers between the website and clients. 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 with a verifier through a cryptographic authentication protocol.

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 [SP800-57Part1]. See asymmetric keys or symmetric keys.

cryptographic module

A set of hardware, software, or firmware that implements approved security functions, including cryptographic algorithms and key generation.

digital authentication

The process of establishing confidence in user identities that are digitally presented to a system. In previous editions of SP 800-63, this was referred to as “electronic authentication.”

digital identity

An attribute or set of attributes that uniquely describes a subject within a given context.

digital signature

An asymmetric key operation in which 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 support but not confidentiality or replay attack protection.

digital transaction

A discrete digital event between a user and a system that supports a business or programmatic purpose.

endpoint

Any device that is used to access a digital identity on a network, such as laptops, desktops, mobile phones, tablets, servers, Internet of Things devices, and virtual environments.

enrollment

The process through which a CSP/IdP provides a successfully identity-proofed applicant with a subscriber account and binds authenticators to grant persistent access.

entropy

The amount of uncertainty that an attacker faces to determine the value of a secret. Entropy is usually stated in bits. A value with n bits of entropy has the same degree of uncertainty as a uniformly distributed n-bit random value.

factor

See authentication factor.

Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)

Standards for adoption and use by federal departments and agencies that are developed by NIST, a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. FIPS address topics in information technology to achieve common levels of quality, security, and interoperability. FIPS documents are available online on the FIPS home page: https://www.nist.gov/itl/fips.cfm.

federation

A process that allows for the conveyance of identity and authentication information across a set of networked systems.

federation assurance level (FAL)

A category that describes the process used in a federation transaction to communicate authentication events and subscriber attributes to an RP.

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:

1. One-way — It is computationally infeasible to find any input that maps to any pre-specified output.

2. Collision-resistant — It is computationally infeasible to find any two distinct inputs that map to the same output.

identifier

A data object that is associated with a single, unique entity (e.g., individual, device, or session) within a given context and is never assigned to any other entity within that context.

identity

See digital identity.

identity assurance level (IAL)

A category that conveys the degree of confidence that the subject’s claimed identity is their real identity.

identity evidence

Information or documentation that supports the real-world existence of the claimed identity. Identity evidence may be physical (e.g., a driver’s license) or digital (e.g., a mobile driver’s license or digital assertion). Evidence must support both validation (i.e., confirming authenticity and accuracy) and verification (i.e., confirming that the applicant is the true owner of the evidence).

identity proofing

The processes used to collect, validate, and verify information about a subject to establish assurance in the subject’s claimed identity.

identity provider (IdP)

The party in a federation transaction that creates an assertion for the subscriber and transmits the assertion to the RP.

injection attack

An attack in which an attacker supplies untrusted biometric information or media into a program or process. For example, this could include injecting a falsified image of identity evidence, a forged video of a user, or a morphed image to defeat evidence validation technology or biometric and visual comparisons for user verification.

manageability

Providing the capability for the granular administration of personal information, including alteration, deletion, and selective disclosure. [NISTIR8062]

memorized secret

See password.

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 authentication (MFA)

An authentication system that requires more than one distinct type of authentication factor for successful authentication. MFA can be performed using a multi-factor authenticator or by combining single-factor authenticators that provide different types of factors.

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, networks are assumed to be open and subject to active (e.g., impersonation, session hijacking) and passive (e.g., eavesdropping) attacks 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.

non-repudiation

The capability to protect against an individual falsely denying having performed a particular transaction.

offline attack

An attack in which the attacker obtains some data (e.g., 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.

online attack

An attack against an authentication protocol in which 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.

passphrase

A password that consists 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

A type of authenticator consisting of a character string that is intended to be memorized or memorable by the subscriber to permit the claimant to demonstrate something they know as part of an authentication process. Passwords were referred to as memorized secrets in the initial release of SP 800-63B.

personal identification number (PIN)

A password that typically consists of only decimal digits.

personal information

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.

pharming

An attack in which an attacker causes the subscriber to be redirected to a fraudulent website, typically a fraudulent verifier/RP in the context of authentication. This could cause the subscriber to reveal sensitive information (e.g., a password) to the attacker, download harmful software, or contribute to a fraudulent act. This may be accomplished by corrupting an infrastructure service (e.g., the DNS) or the subscriber’s endpoint.

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.

phishing resistance

The ability of the authentication protocol to prevent the disclosure of authentication secrets and valid authenticator outputs to an impostor verifier without reliance on the vigilance of the claimant.

physical authenticator

An authenticator that the claimant proves possession of as part of an authentication process.

possession and control of an authenticator

The ability to activate and use the authenticator in an authentication protocol.

predictability

Enabling reliable assumptions by individuals, owners, and operators about personal information and its processing by an information system. [NISTIR8062]

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 (i.e., liveness detection) involves the measurement and analysis of anatomical characteristics or voluntary or involuntary reactions to determine whether a biometric sample is being captured from a living subject that is present at the point of capture.

Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)

A method of analyzing how personal information is collected, used, shared, and maintained. PIAs are used to identify and mitigate privacy risks throughout the development life cycle of a program or system. They also help ensure that handling information conforms to legal, regulatory, and policy requirements regarding privacy.

private key

A cryptographic key used with a public-key cryptographic algorithm that is uniquely associated with an entity and is not made public. In an asymmetric-key (public-key) cryptosystem, the private key has a corresponding public key. Depending on the algorithm, the private key may be used to:

1. Compute the corresponding public key,

2. Compute a digital signature that may be verified by the corresponding public key,

3. Decrypt keys that were encrypted by the corresponding public key, or

4. Compute a shared secret during a key-agreement transaction.

protected session

A session in which 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 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 authenticators during the session. If both participants are authenticated, the protected session is said to be mutually authenticated.

pseudonym

A name other than a legal name.

pseudonymous identifier

A meaningless but unique identifier that does not allow the RP to infer anything regarding the subscriber but that does permit the RP to associate multiple interactions with a single subscriber.

public key

A cryptographic key used with a public-key cryptographic algorithm that is uniquely associated with an entity and that may be made public. In an asymmetric-key (public-key) cryptosystem, the public key has a corresponding private key. The public key may be known by anyone and, depending on the algorithm, may be used to:

1. Verify a digital signature that was generated using the corresponding private key,

2. Encrypt keys that can be decrypted using the corresponding private key, or

3. Compute a shared secret during a key-agreement transaction.

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’s public key. The certificate indicates that the subscriber identified in the certificate has sole control of and access to the private key. See also [RFC5280].

public-key infrastructure (PKI)

A set of policies, processes, server platforms, software, and workstations used to administer 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.

relying party (RP)

An entity that relies on a verifier’s assertion of a subscriber’s identity, typically to process a transaction or grant access to information or a system.

remote

A process or transaction that is conducted through connected devices over a network rather than in person.

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 the use of an authenticator output that is only valid for a specific authentication.

restricted authenticator

An authenticator type, class, or instantiation that has additional risk of false acceptance associated with its use and is therefore subject to additional requirements.

risk assessment

The process of identifying, estimating, and prioritizing risks to organizational operations (i.e., mission, functions, image, reputation), organizational assets, individuals, and other organizations that result from the operation of a system. A risk assessment is part of risk management, incorporates threat and vulnerability analyses, and considers mitigations provided by security controls that are planned or in place. It is synonymous with “risk analysis.”

risk management

The program and supporting processes that manage information security risk to organizational operations (i.e., mission, functions, image, reputation), organizational assets, individuals, and other organizations and that include (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.

Senior Agency Official for Privacy (SAOP)

Person responsible for ensuring that an agency complies with privacy requirements, manages privacy risks, and considers the privacy impacts of all agency actions and policies that involve personal information.

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 the use of a session secret that the subscriber’s software (e.g., browser, application, 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 after 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 the leakage of information from a physical cryptosystem. Characteristics that could be exploited in a side-channel attack include timing, power consumption, electromagnetic emissions, and acoustic emissions.

single-factor

A characteristic of an authentication system or an authenticator that requires only one authentication factor (i.e., something you know, something you have, or something you are) for successful authentication.

single sign-on (SSO)

An authentication process by which one account and its authenticators are used to access multiple applications in a seamless manner, generally implemented with a federation protocol.

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.

subject

A person, organization, device, hardware, network, software, or service. In these guidelines, a subject is a natural person.

subscriber

An individual enrolled in the CSP identity service.

subscriber account

An account established by the CSP for each subscriber enrolled in its identity service that contains information about the subscriber and a record of any authenticators registered to the subscriber.

symmetric key

A cryptographic key used to perform both the cryptographic operation and its inverse (e.g., to encrypt and decrypt or to create a message authentication code and verify the code).

sync fabric

Any on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid service used to store, transmit, or manage authentication keys generated by syncable authenticators that are not local to the user’s device.

syncable authenticators

Software or hardware cryptographic authenticators that allow authentication keys to be cloned and exported to other storage to sync those keys to other authenticators (i.e., devices).

system of record (SOR)

A collection of records that contain information about individuals and are under the control of an agency. The records can be retrieved by the individual’s name, an identifying number, a symbol, or other identifier.

System of Records Notice (SORN)

A notice that federal agencies publish in the Federal Register to describe their system of record.

token

See authenticator.

transaction

See digital transaction.

Transport Layer Security (TLS)

An authentication and security protocol that is widely implemented in browsers and web servers. TLS provides confidentiality, certificate-based authentication of the receiving (server) endpoint, and certificate-based authentication of the originating (client) endpoint. TLS is specified in [RFC8446] and [SP800-52].

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. See attribute validation.

verification

The process or act of confirming that the applicant undergoing identity proofing holds the claimed real-life identity represented by the validated identity attributes and associated evidence. Synonymous with identity verification.

verifier

An entity that confirms 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.