Meaning – The word authentication, in the context of computer security, refers to the process of verifying the identity of the user or a process, before allowing access to the desired file or entity. Usually, authentication is performed by the entry of a passcode, facial recognition or even fingerprint scanning. One more way of establishing an authentication level is to limit the access to a certain file while it is being created.
Authentication also means verification that a message has not been altered or corrupted. Tis is useful when the recipient is due to receive some classified information, and in order to ensure that the message has not been altered, an authentication process is carried out, either by the mail server, or on the system, by the user itself.
Example of usage – “The file was only accessible to people above a certain level in the organisation, and even then, the use of facial recognition as a means of authentication, was made mandatory.”
