What’s Authorization vs Authentication?
An organisation’s identity and access management (IAM) solution separates authentication and authorization. Users are authenticated. Users are authorised to access system resources.
Authentication requires users to give credentials like passwords or fingerprint scans.Access to a resource or network is determined by user permissions. For instance, file system permissions determine whether a user can create, read, update, or delete files.
In addition to humans, gadgets, automated workloads, and web apps require authentication and authorization. IAM systems can handle authentication and authorization separately or together.
Verification is frequently required for authorization. Users must be identified before a system may provide them access.
Hacked user accounts and access rights are rising due to identity-based assaults. These attacks make up 30% of cyberattacks, according to the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index.
Identity and permission restrict access and prevent data breaches. Strong authentication prevents hackers from taking over user accounts. These accounts are less vulnerable to hackers with strong authorization.
Realising authentication
Authentication method
User credentials authentication factors are exchanged during authentication, abbreviated “authn.” A user’s identity is verified by authentication factors.
New system users create authentication factors. When logging in, these factors appear. Present factors are compared to file factors. A match means the system trusts the user.
Regular authentication factors include:
- A password, PIN, or security question that only the user knows.
- Possession factors: A SMS-sent one-time PIN (OTP) or a physical security token that only the user holds.
- Factors: Facial and fingerprint recognition.
Individual apps and resources can authenticate themselves. Users can authenticate once to access numerous resources in a secure domain in many organisations’ integrated systems, such as SSO.
SAML and OIDC are prevalent authentication protocols. SAMl employs XML messages to communicate authentication information, while OIDC uses “ID tokens” JSON Web Tokens (JWTs).
Verification methods
- SFA verifies a user’s identification with one factor. Logging into social media with a username and password is SFA.
- Multifactor authentication (MFA) uses a password and fingerprint scan.
- 2FA is a sort of MFA that requires two elements. Most internet users have used 2FA, such as a banking app requiring a password and a phone-sent PIN.
- A passwordless authentication mechanism uses no passwords or knowledge factors. Passwordless systems are popular at preventing credential thieves from stealing knowledge factors, which are easy to steal.
- User riskiness determines authentication requirements in adaptive authentication systems using artificial intelligence and machine learning. User wanting to access secret data may need to provide numerous authentication factors before system verification.
Exemplary authentication
- Mobile phone unlocking with a fingerprint and PIN.
- New bank account opening requires ID.
- Browsers scan digital certificates to verify website legitimacy.
- Each API call includes an app’s private API key to verify itself.
Know permission
Authorisation workings
Permissions determine authorization, or “authz.” System permissions govern user access and behaviour.
The authorization system enforces user permissions set by administrators and security leaders. Accessing a resource or taking an action requires the authorization system to validate a user’s permissions.
Examine a sensitive client database. This database is only visible to authorised users. Database access depends on authorization if they can. Reading, creating, deleting, and updating entries?
Authorization protocols like OAuth 2.0 employ access tokens to grant user permissions. Data is shared between apps using OAuth. If a user consents, OAuth lets a social networking site examine their email contacts for friends.
Authority types
- Role-based access control (RBAC) determines user access permissions. Firewall configurations can be viewed but not changed by a junior security analyst, while the head of network security can.
- Attribute-based access control (ABAC) uses user, object, and action attributes including name, resource type, and time of day to allocate access. ABAC analyses all relevant attributes and only gives access if a user meets established requirements. User access to sensitive data may be restricted to work hours and seniority in an ABAC system.
- ALL users must follow centrally specified access control (MAC) policies. RBAC and ABAC are more granular than MAC systems, which use clearance or trust ratings to establish access. Programme access to sensitive system resources is controlled by MAC in several operating systems.
- DAC systems let resource owners specify their own access policies. DAC is more flexible than MAC’s blankets.
Authorization instances
- Email logins only display emails. Non-authorized users cannot view messages.
- Healthcare records systems only allow doctors with specific approval to examine patient data.
- A user creates a shared file document. Other users can view but not edit the document since they set access settings to “read only”.
- An unknown programme can’t change laptop settings.
- Authentication and authorization secure networks.
Authentication and authorization protect sensitive data and network resources from insiders and outsiders. Authentication protects user accounts, whereas authorization protects access systems.
Basis for identification and access management
IDAM systems detect user activity, prohibit unauthorised access to network assets, and enforce granular permissions so only authorised users can access resources.
To establish meaningful access controls, organisations must answer two key questions: authentication and authorization.
You who? What can you accomplish with this system? (Authentication) Organisations must identify users to grant appropriate access levels (Authorization). The correct authentication factors are needed for a network administrator to log in. When that happens, the IAM system will let the user add and remove users.
Resisting advanced cyberattacks
Thieves are hijacking user accounts and misusing their privileges to cause havoc as organisational security procedures improve. IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index: Identity-based assaults rose 71% between 2022 and 2023.
Cybercriminals can easily launch these efforts. Breach-force attacks, infostealer software, and buying credentials from other hackers can crack passwords. X-Force Threat Intelligence Index discovered that 90% of dark web cloud assets are cloud account credentials.
Using generative AI techniques, hackers can create more powerful phishing attacks in less time.
Verification and permission, however rudimentary, protect against identity theft and account misuse, including AI-powered attacks.
Biometrics can replace passwords, making account theft tougher.
Limiting user privileges to necessary resources and actions in granular authorization systems reduces lateral mobility. This reduces malware and insider threat harm from access privileges abuse.
IBM Security Verify adds more than authentication and authorization. Verify lets you safeguard accounts with passwordless and multifactor authentication and regulate apps with contextual access controls.
