How do authentication and authorization differ?

Authentication and authorization are two distinct processes in the realm of security.

The correct response highlights that authentication is the process of verifying a user's identity. This typically involves checking credentials, such as a username and password, biometric data, or tokens, to confirm that the user is who they claim to be. Only after a user has been authenticated can the system then determine what resources or actions that authenticated user is permitted to access, which is where authorization comes into play.

Authorization is the subsequent process that establishes the permissions and privileges of a user. It determines what an authenticated user can access or do within the system. For example, upon successful authentication, the system may evaluate the user’s role or permissions to grant or restrict access to specific files, functions, or data within an application.

This distinction is crucial for developing secure systems, as both authentication and authorization serve different, but equally important, purposes in protecting resources and ensuring that users only have access to what they are entitled to based on their identity and associated privileges.

The other choices either conflate authentication and authorization, misrepresent their scopes, or provide incorrect applications that do not accurately define the relationship or processes involved in these security mechanisms.